Karakol
/ˌkærəˈkɔːl/noun
A city in eastern Kyrgyzstan near the eastern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul.
Did you know?Karakol was founded in 1869 as a Russian military settlement and was later renamed Przhevalsk before returning to its traditional name after the Soviet era.
Etymological Timeline
Early Turkic
Proto-Turkic
kara
“Black or dark; a widespread Turkic color word”
Early Turkic
Proto-Turkic
köl
“Lake or body of inland water”
Medieval period
Kyrgyz/Turkic
kara-köl
“Black lake”
1869
Russian/Kyrgyz
Karakol
“Name given to a newly established military settlement in the Issyk-Kul region”
1889–1921
Russian
Przhevalsk
“The city’s official name, honoring explorer Nikolay Przhevalsky”
Modern English
English
Karakol
“The modern name of the Kyrgyzstani city”