Altaic

American  

[al-tay-ik] / ælˈteɪ ɪk /

Also Altaian

noun

1. the Turkic, Mongolian, and Tungusic language families collectively, spoken over a broad expanse of Eurasia, from southeastern Europe to the Pacific: variously considered to be a single, genetically related family, with Japanese and Korean sometimes also included, or a group of languages with shared typologies and histories, but not genetically akin.

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adjective

1. of or belonging to Altaic.

2. of or relating to the Altai Mountains.

Altaic British  

/ ælˈteɪɪk /

noun

1. a postulated family of languages of Asia and SE Europe, consisting of the Turkic, Mongolic, and Tungusic branches, and perhaps also Japanese, Korean, and Ainu See also Ural-Altaic

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adjective

1. denoting, belonging to, or relating to this linguistic family or its speakers

Etymology

Origin of Altaic

First recorded in 1825–35; Alta(i) + -ic

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Altaic

The Transeurasian languages, sometimes known as Altaic, include the languages of Siberia, Mongolia, Central Asia, and possibly Japan and the Korean Peninsula.

From Science Magazine ● Nov. 10, 2021

Korean is also often considered to be an isolated member of this family, and within the family Japanese and Korean may be more related to each other than to other Altaic languages.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

About that time, too, Siam rose to power; and soon afterwards T'ang Taitsong imposed civilization on Tibet.—So there you have the 'Altaic' Race; Altaic, as Mr. Dooley is Anglo-Saxon.

From The Crest-Wave of Evolution A Course of Lectures in History, Given to the Graduates' Class in the Raja-Yoga College, Point Loma, in the College-Year 1918-19 by Kenneth Morris

Bashkirs, race of the, in the Altaic mountains, 303.

From Lectures on The Science of Language by Max Müller

In the case of the Altaic races which we are considering, cause and effect mutually strengthened each other.

From The Soul of the Far East by Percival Lowell

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