Altaic

American  

[al-tey-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

Example Sentences

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

Guided by this clew, it was easy to prove that the grammar and vocabulary of the 3000 Etruscan inscriptions were also Altaic.

From Atlantis : the antediluvian world by Donnelly, Ignatius

Seriform, sē′ri-form, adj. noting a section of the Altaic family of languages, comprising Chinese, &c.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various

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 Lowell, Percival