Kurd

[kurd, koo rd; Persian koord]

noun

a member of an Islamic people speaking Kurdish and dwelling chiefly in Kurdistan.

Origin of Kurd

First recorded in 1610–20

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for kurds

Contemporary Examples of kurds

The Kurds claimed at least 100 Islamic militants were killed in the two-day battle to lift the siege.
Iraqi Kurds Get Their Groove Back, End Siege of Mount Sinjar
Jamie Dettmer
December 20, 2014
The Americans and their allies are carrying out a desultory air campaign in Syria that appears focused on support for the Kurds.
Time Is Running Out for Obama on Syria
Jamie Dettmer
October 30, 2014
For days the Kurds have insisted to skeptical journalists, including myself, that Kobani would hold.
In the Battle for Kobani, ISIS Falls Back. But for How Long?
Jamie Dettmer
October 20, 2014
The buffer zone would protect civilians, Syrian rebels, and Kurds against ISIS assaults.
Top Senate Dem Calls for Buffer Zone and No-fly Zone in Syria
Josh Rogin
October 16, 2014
The Kurds accuse the Turkish government of seeing them as a greater danger than Islamic militants.
Whose Side Is Turkey On?
Jamie Dettmer
October 15, 2014

Historical Examples of kurds

The Kurds have a strange tale of a bird they call the Bird Simer.
The Science of Fairy Tales
Edwin Sidney Hartland
This had its effect; one by one the remaining Kurds slunk away.
rminius Vambry, his life and adventures
rminius Vambry
No sooner had the Kurds, with their customary cry of "Lululu!"
rminius Vambry, his life and adventures
rminius Vambry
Hand him over to us, and he shall have ample opportunity, said the Kurds.
The Cradle of Mankind
W.A. Wigram
When he woke up in the morning the Kurds were ready with a compromise.
The Cradle of Mankind
W.A. Wigram

British Dictionary definitions for kurds

Kurd

noun

a member of a nomadic people living chiefly in E Turkey, N Iraq, and W Iran

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for kurds

Kurd

1610s, the people's self-designation.

kurds in Culture

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.