Sakhalin

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A large island off the eastern coast of Russia, lying between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan in the Russian Far East
2. An island in the Russian Far East, situated in the northwestern Pacific region between the Okhotsk Sea and the Sea of Japan
3. A long, narrow island belonging to Russia that lies north of Japan and separates the Sea of Okhotsk from the Tatar Strait

Etymology: The island's name comes from a Manchu phrase meaning "black," and the Russians borrowed it in a roundabout way. Manchu "sahaliyan" means "black," and it was part of a longer expression, "sahaliyan ula angga hada," which referred to a peak at the mouth of the Amur River. The phrase effectively named the river's black waters and the land around it, and the Manchu word later came to stand for the whole region. Russian adopted the name as "Saxalín" (Сахалин), and English took it from Russian. The root behind all of this is a Proto-Tungusic word, "sakalīn," which also meant "black," showing how far back the sense of darkness goes in the languages of Northeast Asia. The island's name therefore reflects a colour rather than a person, a place or a historical event, and its meaning has stayed the same throughout its journey from Tungusic to Manchu to Russian to English.