روم

From Middle Persian 𐭧𐭫𐭥𐭬 (Hrom), from Byzantine Greek Ῥωμανία (Rhōmanía, “Byzantine Empire”), from Latin Romani (“Romans”), from Roma (“Rome”).

• IPA^(key): /ruːm/

رُوم • (rūm) m (collective, singulative رُومِيّ m (rūmiyy), plural أَرْوَام (ʔarwām))

1. (collective) the Byzantines
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 30:2-3:

     غُلِبَتِ ٱلرُّومُ فِي أَدْنَىٰ ٱلْأَرْضِ وَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ غَلَبِهِم سَيَغْلِبُونَ

     ḡulibati r-rūmu fī ʔadnā l-ʔarḍi wahum min baʕdi ḡalabihim sayaḡlibūna

     The Byzantines have been overcome in the land nearby, but after the overcoming of them they soon shall overcome.

2. (collective) Greek Orthodox Christians

• Wehr, Hans (1979) “روم”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, →ISBN

Borrowed from Arabic رُوم (rūm), الرُّوم (ar-rūm), from Middle Persian 𐭧𐭫𐭥𐭬 (Hrom), from Byzantine Greek Ῥωμανία (Rhōmanía), from Latin Romani, from Roma (“Rome”). In particular application to central Anatolia, from such use in Seljuk Old Anatolian Turkish.

روم • (Rum or Rûm)

1. (historical) Byzantine Empire (a former country in Europe, Asia and Africa)
2. (historical) Rum (an eyalet in the Ottoman Empire)
3. (historical) Various other areas of the Ottoman Empire full of "Roman" (i.e. Byzantine Greek) people, particularly central Anatolia
4. Rome (the capital of Italy)

• (Ottoman eyalet): سیواس (Sivas)

• روم‌ایلی (“Rumelia”)

• English: Rum
• German: Rum
• → Laz: ურუმი (urumi), რუმი (rumi) — Ortaalan, Lome, Batumi
• Swahili: Rum
• Turkish: Rum

• Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “Rum”, in Nişanyan Sözlük
• Redhouse, James W. (1890) “روم”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon‎^[1], Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 994

From Middle Persian 𐭧𐭫𐭥𐭬 (Hrōm), from Byzantine Greek Ῥώμη (Rhṓmē, “Rome”) and Ῥωμανία (Rhōmanía, “Byzantine Empire”), from Latin Romani (“Romans”), from Roma (“Rome”) of uncertain origin. In particular application to central Anatolia, from such use in Seljuk Old Anatolian Turkish.

Readings
Classical reading?	rūm
Dari reading?	rūm
Iranian reading?	rum
Tajik reading?	rum

Dari	روم
Iranian Persian
Tajik	Рум

روم • (Rum)

1. (obsolete or archaic) Synonym of رُم (Rom), Rome (the capital of Italy)

   روم باستان ― rum-e bâstân ― Ancient Rome

2. (historical) Ancient Rome (a former country in Europe, Asia and Africa)

   جمهوری روم ― jomhuri-ye rum ― Roman Republic

3. (historical, dated) Synonym of بیزانس (Bizâns), Byzantine Empire (a former country in Europe, Asia and Africa)
4. (archaic) Synonym of آناتولی (Ânâtoli), Anatolia (a region of southwestern Asia)
5. (historical, dated) Synonym of امپراتوری عثمانی (Emperâturi 'Osmâni), Ottoman Empire (a former country in Europe, Asia and Africa)

Medieval Persian sources followed Byzantine usage in referring to their empire as "Rome". This usage was then continued as a conventional name for the Ottoman empire over the same lands.

The term was also sometimes used vaguely for all the lands west of Iran, particularly hostile powers. In the Shahnama epic tradition, "Rome" is one of the three kingdoms into which the world is divided, along with Iran in the center and Turan (the Turks) in the east. Thus Alexander the Great was typically described as "Roman" in Persian poetry. Persian poetry also used the pale-skinned "Romans" and "Turks" as metaphors for light, whiteness, or the day in contrasted with the darkness, blackness, or night of زنگ (Zang, “Abyssinia or Africa”).

• رومی (rumi)
• یا رومی روم، یا زنگی زنگ (yâ rumi-ye rum, yâ zangi-ye zang)
• نه رومی روم، نه زنگی زنگ (na rumi-ye rum, na zangi-ye zang)

Borrowed from English Rome.

Readings
Dari reading?	rōm

Dari	روم
Iranian Persian	رُم
Tajik	Рум

روم • (rôm)

1. (Dari) Rome (the capital of Italy)