اقلیت

Ottoman Turkish

Etymology

From اقل (ekall, “less”) +‎ ـیت (-iyet, “-ness”). First attested in 1877.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /e.kal.li.jet/

Noun

اقلیت • (ekalliyet) (plural اقلیتلر)

1. minority (any subgroup that does not form a numerical majority)

Descendants

• > Turkish: ekalliyet (inherited)
• → Azerbaijani: əqəlliyyət, əqəliyyət
• → Arabic: أَقَلِّيَّة (ʔaqalliyya)
• → Persian: اقلیت (aqalliyat)
  • → Gujarati: અકલિયત (akaliyat)
  • → Urdu: اَقَلِّیَت (aqalliyat)

Persian

Etymology

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish اقلیت (ekalliyet). Equivalent to اقل (aqall) +‎ ـیت (-iyyat).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ʔa.qal.lij.ˈjat]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔä.qäl.li.jǽt̪]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔä.qäl.li.jǽt̪]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [ʔä.qäl.li.jǽt̪]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [ʔä.qäl.li.jǽt̪]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔæ.ʁæl.lij.jǽt̪]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔä.qäl.li.jǽt̪]

Readings
Classical reading?	aqalliyyat
Dari reading?	aqalliyat
Iranian reading?	ağalliyyat
Tajik reading?	aqalliyat

Noun

Dari	اقلیت
Iranian Persian
Tajik	ақаллият

اقلیت • (aqalliyyat) (plural اقلیت‌ها (aqalliyyat-hâ))

1. minority

   Antonym: اکثریت (aksariyat)

   اقلیت‌های مذهبی ― aqalliyyat-hâ-ye mazhabi ― religious minorities

Descendants

• → Gujarati: અકલિયત (akaliyat)
• → Urdu: اَقَلِّیَت (aqalliyat)

Urdu

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian اقلیت (aqalliyyat), from Ottoman Turkish اقلیت (ekalliyet). First attested in c. 1936.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /ə.qəl.lɪ.jət̪/
• (colloquial) IPA^(key): /əq.lɪ.jət̪/
• Rhymes: -ət̪

Noun

اَقَلِّیَت • (aqalliyat) f (Hindi spelling अक़ल्लियत)

1. minority

   Antonym: اکثریت (aksariyat, “majority”)

Declension

Declension of اقلیت

	singular	plural
direct	اقلیت (aqliyat)	اقلیتیں (aqliyatẽ)
oblique	اقلیت (aqliyat)	اقلیتوں (aqliyatõ)
vocative	اقلیت (aqliyat)	اقلیتو (aqliyato)

References

• “اقلیت”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
• “اقلیت”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2025.