zenci

See also: zənci

Turkish

Etymology

From Ottoman Turkish زنجی (zenci), from Arabic زَنْجِيّ (zanjiyy), from Classical Persian زنگی (zangī).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zenˈdʒi/
• Hyphenation: zen‧ci

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

zenci (definite accusative zenciyi, plural zenciler)

1. black person of African descent, Negro

   Synonyms: siyahi, Arap

Usage notes

• This word is slightly colloquial, and sometimes even derogatory depending on the context, but it does not have the same level of offensiveness as its English equivalents.

Declension

Inflection
Nominative	zenci
Definite accusative	zenciyi
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	zenci	zenciler
Definite accusative	zenciyi	zencileri
Dative	zenciye	zencilere
Locative	zencide	zencilerde
Ablative	zenciden	zencilerden
Genitive	zencinin	zencilerin
Predicative forms Singular Plural 1st singular zenciyim zencilerim 2nd singular zencisin zencilersin 3rd singular zenci zencidir zenciler zencilerdir 1st plural zenciyiz zencileriz 2nd plural zencisiniz zencilersiniz 3rd plural zenciler zencilerdir

Further reading

• “zenci”, in Turkish dictionaries, Türk Dil Kurumu
• Ayverdi, İlhan (2010) “zenci”, in Misalli Büyük Türkçe Sözlük, a reviewed and expanded single-volume edition, Istanbul: Kubbealtı Neşriyatı