Katai
/kəˈtaɪ/noun
An archaic or variant English name for Cathay, the medieval European designation for northern China.
Did you know?The name Katai ultimately preserves the memory of the Khitan people, whose Liao dynasty ruled much of northern China from the tenth to twelfth centuries.
Etymological Timeline
10th Century
Chinese
Qidan (契丹)
“The name of the Khitan people, an Inner Asian group that established the Liao dynasty.”
10th–12th Centuries
Khitan
Khitan
“The ethnonym of the people whose empire controlled large parts of northern China.”
Medieval Period
Turkic
Kitay
“A form of the Khitan name transmitted westward through Turkic languages.”
Medieval Period
Mongolian
Qitai
“A Mongolian form of the name applied to the Khitan lands and, by extension, northern China.”
13th Century
Old French
Cathay
“The European name for northern China, derived from forms of Khitan.”
Later English
English
Katai
“An archaic or variant spelling referring to Cathay, or medieval northern China.”