Etymology of Persian سردمدار/sardamdâr "people's leader"

[PersoLatin]

What is the etymology of Persian سردمدار/sardamdâr which is currently used to refer to 'political leaders', 'people in-charge', it looks like a compound like: sardam-dâr, in that case what does 'sardam' mean (other than "I am [a] cold [person]", or according to Google translate "cold-blooded" which makes no sense), or is it sar-dam-dâr with sar "head", dam "breath, moment" and dâr "holder"?

Thank you.

 

[AndrasBP]

sar-dam-dâr with sar "head"

If "sar" means head, the second part might be the same as the Hungarian word "dandár" (=brigade (military unit)), which is an Ottoman Turkish loanword of Persian origin.

 

[PersoLatin]

Thank you that’s helpful although I can not think what the original of dandàr could be in Persian, we have sardār/سردار "leader” also damdār/دمدار, “something brewed like tea also a loyal companion”, none of them make sense here.

Brigade in Persian is tip/تیپ and sartip/سرتیپ a brigadier, no other military unit or term that I know is close to dandàr.

A long shot, there is also domdār/دمدار “possessor of tail”, basically animals but mainly horses, so maybe sar-dom-dār or “chief of the calvary”

 

[PersoLatin]

I think this might be the answer; this is based on one of the possible answers in Dehkhoda for sar-dam/سردم:

Traditional gymnasiums (Zurkhana) in Iran are circular pits, participants perform their ritualistic exercises to recitation of poetry & beat of a drum performed by a man (moršed/مرشد) who sits on a platform overlooking the pit, the platform is called sar-dam/سردم.

It makes sense that moršed/مرشد who leads/orchestrates the exercise is called سردمدار/sar-dam-dâr, however Dehkhoda does not confirm this in its entry for سردمدار/sardamdâr, at least not the way I have explained it above.

سردم​

نویسه گردانی: SRDM
سردم . [ س َ دَ ] (اِ مرکب ).........| (زورخانه ) محل سکومانند که مشرف بر گود است و مرشد بر آن قرار گیرد و همراه ضرب ورزش را رهبری کند. (فرهنگ فارسی معین ).

 

[desi4life]

Thank you that’s helpful although I can not think what the original of dandàr could be in Persian, we have sardār/سردار "leader” also damdār/دمدار, “something brewed like tea also a loyal companion”, none of them make sense here.

Brigade in Persian is tip/تیپ and sartip/سرتیپ a brigadier, no other military unit or term that I know is close to dandàr.

A long shot, there is also domdār/دمدار “possessor of tail”, basically animals but mainly horses, so maybe sar-dom-dār or “chief of the calvary”

According to Steingass’ Indo-Persian dictionary, “rear-guard” and “camp followers” are among the meanings of dumdār. So sardamdār could then mean “head of the camp followers, i.e. political leader”. However, I don’t know if these meanings of dumdār are attested in Iranian Persian.

دمدار dam-dār, Elastic; — dum-dār, Tailed, possessing a tail; holding the tail, coming behind; the rear-guard, camp-followers; an agreement, condition;

 

[apmoy70]

Thank you that’s helpful although I can not think what the original of dandàr could be in Persian, we have sardār/سردار "leader”...

In Greek «Σερδάρης» [s̠e̞rˈðaɾis̠] (masc. nom. sinɡ.), (pl: «Σερδαροί» [s̠e̞rðaˈɾi], or «Σερδαρέοι» [s̠e̞rðaˈɾe̞.i]), was the armed militiaman tasked with ɡuardinɡ the border of the Monastic Republic of Mount Athos durinɡ Ottoman Rule. The name is used today as the "honorary" title of the first in rank Police Officer serving there (the Modern Greek State appoints the police force of Mount Athos):

Serdarei on Mount Athos during Ottoman Rule

The Serdaris (right) of the Monastic Republic today