The etymology of the word "hajduk" is unclear. One theory is that hajduk was derived from the Turkish word "haidut" or "haydut" (meaning bandit), which was originally used by the Ottomans to refer to Hungarian and Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth infantry soldiers. Another theory suggests that the word comes from the Hungarian "hajtó" or "hajdó" (plural "hajtók" or "hajdók"), meaning a (cattle) drover. Indeed, these two theories do not necessarily contradict each other, as the Balkan word is said to be derived from the Turkish word "haiduk" or "hayduk" (bandit).