Kurdistan
/ˌkʊr.dɪˈstɑːn/noun
A region in the Middle East inhabited largely by Kurdish people.
Did you know?The ending -stan is an ancient Iranian word for “place” or “land,” the same element seen in many country names, from Pakistan to Afghanistan.
Etymological Timeline
Old Iranian
OIr
*stāna-
“place; standing place; land”
Middle Persian
MP
-stān
“place, land, country”
Persian
Per
Kurdistān
“land of the Kurds”
Medieval Islamic period
Ar
كردستان (Kurdistān)
“the region associated with the Kurds”
Modern English
Eng
Kurdistan
“a region inhabited by Kurdish people”
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