hajduk

See also: Hajduk and hajdúk

English

Etymology

From Hungarian hajdúk, plural of hajdú (“foot-soldier”). The Hungarian word may derive from hajtó which meant “(cattle) drover”. In 16th century Hungary, cattle driving was an important and dangerous occupation and drovers traveled armed. Some of them ended up as bandits or retainers in the service of local landowners and many may have become soldiers. In any case, the term hajduk came to be used in the 16th century to describe irregular soldiers. There is probably an etymological link between hajdú and the Turkish word haydut which was used by the Ottomans to describe Hungarian infantry soldiers and has the sense 'outlaw, robber' in modern Turkish usage, though it is not clear whether the word travelled from Hungarian to Turkish or vice versa.

Noun

hajduk (plural hajduks)

1. (historical) An outlaw, highwayman, or freedom fighter in the Balkans.
2. (archaic) A mercenary foot soldier in Hungary.
3. (historical) A halberdier of a Hungarian noble.
4. (historical) An attendant in German or Hungarian courts.

Alternative forms

A large number of forms are attested, many influenced by the spellings which languages other than Hungarian used. The three most common forms are hayduk, hajduk and haiduk. In order from (roughly) most common to least common, other attested forms include:

• hayduck
• heyduk
• heiduk
• haiduc
• heiduck
• heyduc
• heyduke
• haidouk (following the French spelling)
• heydut, heiduc, and other uncommon forms

Translations

outlaw, highwayman or freedom fighter in the Balkans

• Albanian: hajduku
• Armenian: հայդուկ (hy) (hayduk)
• Bulgarian: хайду́к (bg) m (hajdúk)
• Dutch: heiduk m
• Finnish: heitukka (fi)
• French: haïdouk (fr) m
• Georgian: ჰაიდუკი (haiduḳi)
• German: Heiduck (de) m
• Italian: aiducco (it) m
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: hejduk

• Macedonian: ајдук m (ajduk), ајдут m (ajdut)
• Ottoman Turkish: حیدود (haydud)
• Polish: hajduk (pl) m
• Portuguese: haiduque m
• Romanian: haiduc (ro) m
• Russian: гайду́к (ru) m (gajdúk)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: хајдук m

  Roman: hajduk (sh) m

• Spanish: haiduc (es) m, haiduqe m
• Turkish: haydut (tr)
• Ukrainian: гайду́к m (hajdúk), гайдама́ка m (hajdamáka)

a mercenary foot soldier in Hungary

• Dutch: heiduk m
• Finnish: heitukka (fi)
• Georgian: ჰაიდუკი (haiduḳi)
• German: Heiduck (de) m
• Hungarian: hajdú (hu)
• Latin: hajdo
• Ottoman Turkish: حیدود (haydud)
• Polish: hajduk (pl) m
• Slovak: hajdúch

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from Hungarian hajdúk.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈxaj.duk/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ajduk
• Syllabification: haj‧duk
• Homophone: Hajduk

Noun

hajduk m pers (diminutive hajduczek)

1. (historical) hajduk (outlaw, highwayman or freedom fighter in the Balkans)
2. (historical) hajduk (mercenary foot soldier in Hungary)
3. (historical) hajduk (attendant in German or Hungarian courts)

Declension

Declension of hajduk

	singular	plural
nominative	hajduk	hajducy/hajduki (deprecative)
genitive	hajduka	hajduków
dative	hajdukowi	hajdukom
accusative	hajduka	hajduków
instrumental	hajdukiem	hajdukami
locative	hajduku	hajdukach
vocative	hajduku	hajducy

Noun

hajduk m inan

1. hajdútánc (traditional Hungarian male dance, akin to war dances)

Declension

Declension of hajduk

	singular	plural
nominative	hajduk	hajduki
genitive	hajduku	hajduków
dative	hajdukowi	hajdukom
accusative	hajduk	hajduki
instrumental	hajdukiem	hajdukami
locative	hajduku	hajdukach
vocative	hajduku	hajduki

Derived terms

adjectives

• hajducki
• hajduczy

 

Further reading

• hajduk in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• hajduk in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From Hungarian hajdú.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xǎjduːk/
• Hyphenation: haj‧duk

Noun

hàjdūk m (Cyrillic spelling ха̀јдӯк)

1. brigand, outlaw
2. hajduk

Declension

Declension of hajduk

	singular	plural
nominative	hajduk	hajduci
genitive	hajduka	hajduka
dative	hajduku	hajducima
accusative	hajduka	hajduke
vocative	hajduče	hajduci
locative	hajduku	hajducima
instrumental	hajdukom	hajducima

Slovak

Alternative forms

• hajdúch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɦajduk]

Noun

hajduk m pers

1. hajduk

Further reading

• “hajduk”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2024