What it means
کدخدا (kadkhodâ) is a compound of two pure Persian elements: کد (kad, an older form of خانه khâne, house or dwelling) and خدا (khodâ, master or lord, in the older secular sense of owner or authority, not the theological one). Together the compound means master of the house or head of the settlement. Historically the کدخدا was the administrative and social leader of a village: he settled disputes, represented the village to outside authorities, and organized collective tasks. In modern urban colloquial use the word describes any informal mediator, whether in a neighborhood dispute, a business disagreement, or the early stages of a marriage negotiation.
How to use it
- کدخدا دعواشونو حل کرد (kadkhodâ da’vâshuno hal kard) “The kadkhoda settled their dispute.”
- تو این محله کدخدا کیه؟ (tu in mahalle kadkhodâ kiye?) “Who’s the go-to person in this neighborhood?”
- کدخدابازی در نیار (kadkhodâ-bâzi dar niyâr) “Don’t try to play the mediator.”
- کدخدامنشی نشون داد (kadkhodâ-maneshi neshun dâd) “He showed a spirit of elder-like authority.”
Cultural note
The کدخدا system was a real institution in Iranian village governance until the mid-twentieth century, and it lives on in collective memory and language. The derived phrase کدخدابازی در آوردن (kadkhodâ-bâzi dar âvordan, to play at being the big mediator) carries a slightly mocking tone, used when someone assumes unearned authority over others’ affairs. The role of informal mediator remains genuinely valued in Iranian social life, even when the title کدخدا is applied loosely.
References
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