Giaour

(jow'-er). An unbeliever, one who disbelieves the Mahometan faith. A corruption of the Arabic Kiafir. It has now become so common that it scarcely implies insult, but has about the force of the word “Gentile,” meaning “not a Jew.” Byron has a poetical tale so called, but he has not given the giaour a name.

The city won for Allah from the Giaour,
The Giaour from Othman's race again may wrest.

Byron: Childe Harold, canto ii. stanza 77.

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language