n.
Variant: also bed · u · in
Pronunciation: ' be-d ə -w ə n, -dü- ə n, ' bed-w ə n
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural bedouin or bedouins also beduin or beduins
Usage: often cap
Etymology: Middle English Bedoyne, from Middle French bedoïn, from Arabic badaw ī desert dweller, from badw desert, desert dwellers
Date: 15th century
: a nomadic Arab of the Arabian, Syrian, or No. African deserts