Karakoram
/ˌkærəkəˈrɑːm/noun
A mountain range in Central and South Asia containing K2 and several other of the world’s highest peaks.
Did you know?The name is generally traced to Turkic words for “black” and “gravel” or “rubble,” reflecting the range’s stark, debris-covered mountain terrain rather than a supernatural origin.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Turkic
Proto-Turkic
*kara
“Black or dark”
Medieval Turkic
Turkic
kara
“Black; a common descriptive element in Central Asian place-names”
Medieval Turkic
Turkic
kuram / koram
“Gravel, rubble, or a stony heap”
Medieval–Early Modern Period
Turkic
Kara-koram
“Black gravel or black rubble; a regional mountain-name formation”
19th Century
English
Karakoram
“The established English name for the Central Asian mountain range”
Modern English
English
Karakoram
“A major mountain range stretching through parts of Pakistan, India, and China”