What does bazaar mean?
A bazaar is a market, particularly the kind found throughout the Middle East and South Asia: a street, quarter, or covered complex lined with small shops and stalls where merchants sell goods ranging from carpets, silks, and jewelry to spices and household wares. The word evokes color, bustle, and the tradition of bargaining, and it entered European languages through Persian during the era of trade with the East. In Britain and North America the term also came to describe a charity event at which donated goods are sold to raise money, so a village might hold a Christmas bazaar without any connection to the East. Figuratively, writers sometimes use "bazaar" to suggest a confusing jumble of things. Its most famous namesake, Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, has traded continuously since the fifteenth century.
A market, especially in the Middle East or South Asia, made up of streets or a covered area of shops and stalls.
"Haggling is expected in the bazaars of Marrakech."
Often used figuratively to mean any bustling, crowded marketplace.
A sale of miscellaneous donated goods held to raise money for charity.
"She baked cakes all week for the school's spring bazaar."
Common chiefly in British English.
Regular plural formation.
"The city's bazaars draw traders from across the region."
Istanbul's Grand Bazaar has been open for business for more than 550 years and covers over 60 streets with thousands of shops.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bazaar
The word comes from Persian "bāzār", meaning market, and was carried into English through contact with the Middle East and South Asia, first appearing in English texts in the late sixteenth century as travelers described Eastern trading cities. Italian and French adopted it around the same period, and Turkish uses a related form, "pazar", reflecting the shared Persian source. The extended sense of a charity sale developed in nineteenth-century Britain. Related marketplace terms from other traditions include the Arabic-derived "souk".
How bazaar is actually used
In American English, "bazaar" most often refers to a charity sale of secondhand goods, while in British English it retains both senses. The capitalized "Grand Bazaar" specifically denotes the famous historic market in Istanbul.
Easily confused with bazaar
"Bazaar" is a noun meaning a market, while "bizarre" is an adjective meaning strange or unusual.