Uyghur

American  

[wee-goor] / ˈwi gʊər /

(Older Spelling) Uighur,

noun

plural

Uyghurs,

plural

Uyghur

1. a member of a predominantly Muslim Turkic-speaking people, dominant in Mongolia and eastern Turkestan from the 8th to 12th centuries a.d., and now living in northwestern China, mainly in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

2. the Turkic language of the Uyghurs.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Uyghurs or their language.

Other Word Forms

• Uyghurian adjective
• Uyghuric adjective

Etymology

Origin of Uyghur

First recorded in 1840–45; from Uyghur; a self-designation of the Uyghur people

Example Sentences

Guan Heng is a 38-year-old Chinese immigrant who fled the People’s Republic after he gathered evidence of human-rights abuses against the ethnic Uyghur population in Xinjiang province.

From The Wall Street Journal

A Chinese citizen who fled the country after gathering evidence of alleged human-rights violations against the nation’s Uyghur population is at risk of being returned there after being detained by U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal

The crackdown on Christians fits a broader pattern that in recent years has included the persecution of Tibetan Buddhists, Uyghur Muslims, and members of smaller groups such as Falun Gong.

From The Wall Street Journal

In Xinjiang, around a million Uyghur Muslims have been detained in “re-education” camps, as is well documented.

From The Wall Street Journal

Beijing has been accused for years of repressing the Muslim Uyghur minority in the province, which borders Kazakhstan.

From Barron's