The Hebrew word peloni is used as an indefinite or anonymous reference — equivalent to 'so-and-so' or 'a certain person' in English. It appears in Ruth 4:1 when Boaz addresses an unnamed kinsman-redeemer, and in 1 Samuel 21:2 when David invents a pretext for secrecy. Often paired with almoni to form the idiom peloni almoni (such-and-such a place).
The use of peloni almoni in Ruth 4 is theologically significant. Boaz calls the closer kinsman-redeemer 'so-and-so' — his name is deliberately withheld from the text, contrasting with Boaz whose name is remembered. The anonymous kinsman was unwilling to risk his inheritance by marrying Ruth; Boaz, willing to risk everything, becomes the redeemer and his name is preserved forever in the lineage of David and Christ. Scripture records those who sacrificially act for others; the self-protective are forgotten. God's redemptive story is woven through named, faithful servants.