Turk

¹

[turk]

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Turkey.

2. (formerly) a native or inhabitant of the Ottoman Empire.

3. a Muslim, especially a subject of the Sultan of Turkey.

4. a member of any of the peoples speaking Turkic languages.

5. one of a breed of Turkish horses closely related to the Arabian horse.

6. any Turkish horse.

7. Young Turk.

8. Archaic.,  a cruel, brutal, and domineering man.

Turk.

²

abbreviation

1. Turkey.

2. Turkic. Also Turk

3. Turkish. Also Turk

Turk

¹

/ tɜːk /

noun

1. a native, inhabitant, or citizen of Turkey

2. a native speaker of any Turkic language, such as an inhabitant of Turkmenistan or Kyrgyzstan

3. obsolete,  a violent, brutal, or domineering person

Turk.

²

abbreviation

1. Turkey

2. Turkish

Other Word Forms

• non-Turk noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Turk¹

First recorded in 1400–50; from Old French Turc, Middle English Turke, Turque, ultimately from Turkish Türk; compare Medieval Latin Turcus, Medieval Greek Toûrkos, Middle French turc, Italian turco, Persian turk

Example Sentences

In March, one explosion grounded flights and caused debris to rain down over the Bahamas with pieces landing in the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean.

From BBC

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk described the famine as "the direct result of actions taken by the Israeli Government", which has "unlawfully restricted" the entry of aid.

From BBC

Riley's trial heard the shooting appeared to be part of an ongoing dispute between two rival gangs, the Hackney Turks and the Tottenham Turks.

From BBC

The rains caused by the storm are already beginning to hit the south-eastern Bahamas, and the Turk and Caicos Islands, where a tropical storm warning is in effect.

From BBC

Amy Turk, chief executive of the Downtown Women’s Center, said that using the police and military to address homelessness is “an expensive intervention that is just moving someone from one place to another place.”

From Los Angeles Times