Etymologically
Log in

khan

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 12:06. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /kɑːn/[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English caan, borrowed from Old French chan, can and Medieval Latin caanus,[2][3][4] from Turkic han (“lord, prince”),[2][5][6] a contraction of Old Turkic qaɣan (“ruler, sovereign”);[5][3][7] Nişanyan records the Old Turkic forms χan and kan in the Orkhon inscriptions (735).[7] The spelling khan is first found in Gibbon's “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” (1788).[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The title of the rulers of the Tatar and Mongol peoples, and of the medieval emperor of China: about 1400, in Mandeville's Travels.[2][5][8]

Semantic evolution

Etymonline notes that the word had been known in European languages since the 13th century, as Medieval Latin chanis and Old French chan.[5] In later use it became a title of respect, of slight importance, given to officials and men of rank in Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan and India.[8][5][9] The feminine is khanum (1824), from Turkish hanım.[5]

Timeline

  • 735 – χan in the Orkhon inscriptions.[7]
  • c. 1400 – caan, in Mandeville.[2]
  • 1788 – the spelling khan, in Gibbon.[2]
  • 1824 – khanum.[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A title of the Mongol and Turkic rulers of the Middle Ages, as in Genghis Khan.
  2. A title of respect given to rulers, officials or important men in Central Asia, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

Word family

  • khanate
  • khanum
  • cham
  • caravanserai

Usage notes

A separate word khan, an inn or caravanserai in the Middle East, is from Arabic khān, from Persian (about 1400).[6][8][4] Turkish has both words as han.[7]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c d Nişanyan, Sevan, Nişanyan Sözlük: Çağdaş Türkçenin Etimolojisi (online edition)
  8. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  9. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins