Bashkir

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A member of a Turkic ethnic group primarily living in the Russian republic of Bashkortostan; the language spoken by this group; relating to their culture, traditions, or geographical region
2. An individual belonging to a Turkic-speaking people native to the Ural Mountains region in Russia; their distinct language; anything associated with their customs or homeland
3. A person from a Turkic ethnic population centered in Bashkortostan, Russia; the Turkic language they use; pertaining to their ethnic identity, cultural practices, or native area

Etymology: The English word comes straight from Russian "башкир" (baškír), the name of the people themselves, so the story lies mostly in how that Russian name was formed. The people call themselves Bashkort, and the Russian form is a rendering of that self-name, which is why the English word looks so unlike what a reader might expect from the Turkic side. Because the word is a borrowing from Russian rather than something English built from its own roots, its meaning has stayed fixed on the people, their language and their homeland. It works as both a noun and an adjective: a Bashkir is a member of the people, while a Bashkir village or Bashkir custom is one connected with them. The word was not coined as a term for a region or a politics, so its sense has changed little from its original reference to a particular Turkic-speaking community.

Synonyms: bashkurt