NYT Dictionary

EFFENDI

/ɛˈfɛndi/
NounEF-fen-dief-fen-di · 3 syllablesGrade 11

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2026

Meaning

An educated or well-respected man in an eastern Mediterranean or Arab country; often used as a title of respect or courtesy in Turkey or a former Ottoman territory.

Etymology

Origin: Ancient Greek

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish افندی (efendi), from Greek αφέντη (afénti), vocative of αφέντης (aféntis), from Ancient Greek αὐθέντης (authéntēs, “lord, master”). Doublet of authentic.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

emirkhansahibsire

NYT Puzzle Appearances

No published puzzle dates on file for this word yet. It is part of the official NYT Spelling Bee word list for 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2026.

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