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

This may remind us of Kan Püdäi, who in the Altaic ballad descends with his steed to the middle of the earth and encounters various monsters.

From The Science of Fairy Tales An Inquiry into Fairy Mythology by Hartland, Edwin Sidney

Aston, in a pamphlet on the Altaic tongues, cites an instance which is so much to the point that I venture to repeat it here.

From The Soul of the Far East by Lowell, Percival

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