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vi·zier

(vĭ-zîr, vĭzyər)

A high officer in a Muslim government, especially in the Ottoman Empire.

[Turkish vezir, from Arabic wazīr, burdened, minister, from 'āzara, to help, derived form of 'azara, to surround; see ʾzr in the Appendix of Semitic roots, or from wazara, to carry a burden; see wzr in the Appendix of Semitic roots.]

vi·zierate (vĭ-zîrĭt, -āt′, vĭzyər-ĭt, -yə-rāt′) n.

vi·zieri·al adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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