Khazar
/ˈkɑːzɑːr/noun
A member of a Turkic people who formed a powerful medieval empire north of the Caspian and Black Seas.
Did you know?The Khazars are famous for their elite ruling class’s conversion to Judaism in the 8th–9th centuries, making their name a rare doorway into one of medieval Eurasia’s most unusual religious histories.
Etymological Timeline
7th Century
Turkic
*Qazar
“The ethnonym of a Turkic people, likely the name of a tribal confederation”
Greek/Byzantine
Greek
Χάζαροι (Kházaroi)
“The Khazars, as recorded by Byzantine writers”
Arabic
Arabic
خزر (Khazar)
“The Khazars, as known in Arabic geographic and historical sources”
10th-11th Century
Hebrew
כוזרים (Kuzarim)
“The Khazars, in Jewish historical writing”
Modern English
English
Khazar
“A member of the medieval Khazar people or empire”