bedouin

noun

bed·​ou·​in ˈbe-də-wən 

-dü-ən,

ˈbed-wən

variants or less commonly beduin

plural bedouin or bedouins also beduin or beduins

often capitalized

: a nomadic Arab of the Arabian, Syrian, or northern African deserts

Did you know?

Arabic-speaking desert nomads of the Middle East are known as bedouin. Ethnically, the bedouin are identical to other Arabs. Bedouin social rank is determined by the animals they herd: camel nomads are most prestigious, followed by sheep and goat herders, and finally cattle nomads. Traditionally, bedouin migrated into the desert during the rainy season and returned to cultivated areas during the dry season, but since World War II some national governments have nationalized their range lands and conflicts over land use have arisen, and many groups have settled. Most, however, retain pride in their nomadic heritage.

Examples of bedouin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There are tons of activities here, including falconry, dune bashing, and an overnight bedouin adventure. —Jim Dobson, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2021

There's a state-of-the-art DJ station and a many-cushioned bedouin tent—both of which attest to the tastes of the boat's owner, Cirque du Soleil cofounder Guy Laliberté (who has since sold Tiara). —Darrell Hartman, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Aug. 2021

What about the bedouin in the desert regions of North Africa? —Rhett Allain, WIRED, 9 July 2019

In one corner, Bedouins glide on camels across a void of Sheetrock, while, in another, Sherlock Holmes grapples to the death with Professor Moriarty on the lip of a high shelf. —Southern Living, 1 May 2017

Bedouins have increasingly identified with the struggles of Palestinians, including their fight against Jewish settlements in the West Bank. —William Booth, Orange County Register, 18 Jan. 2017

Before the discovery of vast natural gas reserves off Qatar's coast that crowned the small Gulf peninsular country with skyscrapers, bedouin roamed the desert and depended on meat and milk from camels to survive. —Author: Ibrahim Saber, Tom Finn, Alaska Dispatch News, 20 June 2017

The documentary is based on letters and communiqués — Tilda Swinton is the voice of Bell — that follow her from the aristocracy and drizzle of Yorkshire, England, to the scoured, arid expanses of tribesmen, Bedouins and sheikhs. —Jeffrey Fleishman, latimes.com, 8 June 2017

Previous travelers—Nabateans, bedouins—had scratched inscrutable symbols onto the stones. —Saki Knafo, Smithsonian, 5 May 2017

Word History

Etymology

Middle English Bedoyne, from Middle French bedoïn, from Arabic badawī desert dweller, from badw desert, desert dwellers

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

bedouin

noun

bed·​ou·​in ˈbed(-ə)-wən 

plural bedouin or bedouins

often capitalized

: a nomadic Arab of the Arabian, Syrian, or north African deserts