Pakhtun
/pəxˈtuːn/noun
A member of the Pashtun ethnic group, traditionally centered in Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan.
Did you know?Pakhtun, Pashtun, and Pukhtun are transliteration variants of the group’s own name, while the older ultimate etymology remains disputed rather than securely tied to a mythical ancestor or occult meaning.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-modern Iranian period
Iranian
*Paštūn / *Paxštūn (reconstructed)
“A proposed ancestral form of the ethnonym; its deeper origin and original meaning are uncertain.”
Medieval period
Pashto
پښتون (Paṣ̌tūn / Paxtūn)
“The native ethnonym for a member of the Pashtun people.”
Medieval–Early Modern period
Pashto
پښتو (Paṣ̌tō / Paxtō)
“The Pashto language; its relationship to the ethnonym reflects the people’s self-designation.”
18th–19th Century
Persian and English
Pukhtun / Pakhtun / Pashtun
“Transliterated forms used in Persianate and European writing for the ethnic group.”
19th–20th Century
English
Pakhtun
“An established English form referring to a member of the Pashtun people, alongside Pashtun and Pushtun.”