Cuman
/ˈkuːmən/noun
A member of a medieval Turkic-speaking nomadic confederation that dominated parts of the Eurasian steppe.
Did you know?The Cuman people were known across medieval Europe under several different names, including Kipchak, Polovtsy, and Kun, because neighboring cultures recorded their ethnonym differently.
Etymological Timeline
Before the 11th Century
Proto-Turkic/Kipchak
*quman
“A reconstructed ethnonym, probably connected with a term meaning pale or yellowish; the exact derivation remains debated.”
11th Century
Byzantine Greek
Κοῦμανοι (Koumanoi)
“The Cumans, a nomadic Turkic confederation encountered north of the Black Sea.”
11th–13th Centuries
Old Russian
половци (Polovtsi)
“A neighboring Slavic name for the Cumans, traditionally associated with a word meaning pale or blond.”
12th–13th Centuries
Latin
Cumani
“The Cumans, as recorded in medieval European chronicles and ecclesiastical documents.”
13th Century
Hungarian
Kun
“The name used in Hungary for Cuman settlers who entered the kingdom after the Mongol invasions.”
Modern English
English
Cuman
“The standard historical English name for a member of this medieval Turkic nomadic people.”