Turkestan
/ˌtɜːr.kəˈstæn/noun
A historical term for regions of Central Asia inhabited by Turkic peoples.
Did you know?The name is formed with the Persian suffix -stan, meaning “place/land,” the same root behind Pakistan and Afghanistan, so it literally marks the “land of the Turks.”
Etymological Timeline
Old Persian
Persian
-stan
“land, place, region”
Medieval Persian
Persian
Tork
“Turk; a Turkic person”
Medieval Persian
Persian
Torkestān
“land of the Turks”
19th Century
English
Turkestan
“A name used in European writing for parts of Central Asia inhabited by Turkic peoples”
Modern English
English
Turkestan
“A historical geographical term for Central Asian regions associated with Turkic peoples”
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