Turkmen
/ˈtɜːrk.mɛn/noun
A member of a Turkic people of Central Asia, or the Turkic language they speak.
Did you know?The name Turkmen is traditionally analyzed as meaning “Turk-like” or “pure Turk,” but its exact origin is debated, and it became the label for a major branch of the Oghuz Turkic peoples across Central Asia.
Etymological Timeline
Early Medieval period
Old Turkic
Türk
“A Turk; a member of the Turkic peoples.”
Medieval period
Persian
Torkmān / Türkmen
“A Turkman or Turkmen; a Turkic tribal people.”
Medieval period
Arabic
Turkumān / Turkumān
“A Turkman; a Turkic group known to Arabic writers.”
16th–19th Century
English
Turkman / Turcoman
“An English form referring to the Central Asian Turkic peoples.”
Modern English
English
Turkmen
“A member of the Turkmen people, or the language they speak.”