Kurds

[ (kurdz, koordz) ]


A linguistically and culturally distinct people who inhabit parts of Syria, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and the former Soviet Union. Once part of the Ottoman Empire, they long have sought an independent nation-state, but without success. After his defeat in the Persian Gulf War, Saddam Hussein brutally repressed rebellious Kurds in northern Iraq.

Words Nearby Kurds

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

How to use Kurds in a sentence

  • These villages are widely distributed—isolated for the most part singly among the surrounding Kurds and Christians.

    The Cradle of Mankind | W.A. Wigram
  • They have gained that exemption from military service which Kurds and Christians earnestly desire.

    The Cradle of Mankind | W.A. Wigram
  • Women are not always respected now; and the free distribution of rifles among the Kurds has done away with all the old equality.

    The Cradle of Mankind | W.A. Wigram
  • They were undeniably rowdy and turbulent, however; quarrelling among themselves almost as much as they did with the Kurds!

    The Cradle of Mankind | W.A. Wigram
  • Once, a few years ago, a party of thirty Kurds undertook its exploration, and went in well armed.

    The Cradle of Mankind | W.A. Wigram