Chagatai
/ˌtʃɑːɡəˈtaɪ/noun
A historical Turkic literary language of Central Asia, or anything relating to the Chagatai Khanate and its ruling dynasty.
Did you know?Chagatai was the language used by the poet and ruler Ali-Shir Nava’i, who argued that Turkic could rival Persian as a language of high literature.
Etymological Timeline
13th Century
Mongolian
Čaγatay
“The personal name of Chagatai, the second son of Genghis Khan; the name’s deeper etymology is uncertain.”
13th–14th Century
Mongolian/Persian
Chaghatay
“A dynastic and political designation associated with the Chagatai Khanate in Central Asia.”
14th–15th Century
Middle Turkic
čaġatāy tili
“The Chagatai language, literally the language associated with Chagatai.”
15th–16th Century
Eastern Turkic
چغتای / Chaghatay
“A major written Turkic literary language used in Central Asian courts and Islamic scholarship.”
19th Century
English
Chagatai
“An English scholarly term for the historical Turkic language and its literary tradition.”
Modern English
English
Chagatai
“Relating to the Chagatai language, Khanate, dynasty, or cultural sphere.”