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• kurgan
  kurgan

  noun

  a circular burial mound constructed over a pit grave and often containing grave vessels, weapons, and the bodies of horses as well as a single human body; originally in use in the Russian Steppes but later spreading into eastern, central, and northern Europe in the third millennium b.c.
• Kurgan
  Kurgan

  noun

  a city in the S Russian Federation in Asia, near the Ural Mountains.

kurgan

¹ American  

[koor-gahn, -gan] / kʊərˈgɑn, -ˈgæn /

noun

1. a circular burial mound constructed over a pit grave and often containing grave vessels, weapons, and the bodies of horses as well as a single human body; originally in use in the Russian Steppes but later spreading into eastern, central, and northern Europe in the third millennium b.c.

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Kurgan ² American  

[koor-gahn, koor-gahn] / kʊərˈgɑn, kurˈgɑn /

noun

1. a city in the S Russian Federation in Asia, near the Ural Mountains.

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Kurgan British  

/ kurˈɡan /

noun

1. a city in W Russia, on the Tobol River: industrial centre for an agricultural region. Pop: 344 000 (2005 est)

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Etymology

Origin of kurgan

1885–90; < Russian kurgán burial mound, Old Russian, apparently to be identified with kurganŭ fortress < Turkic; compare Turkish, Tatar kurğan, Chagatai, Kazakh korğan fortress, castle

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

kurgan Kurgan

All told, the new paper reports five Yamnaya skeletons displaying at least four of six such traits out of a total of 217 skeletons included in the kurgan survey.

From Scientific American ● Mar. 3, 2023

For example, Savur-Mohyla is the site of a Bronze Age burial mound, or kurgan.

From New York Times ● Feb. 25, 2022

One of the oldest dates, about 5400 years ago, comes from a horse’s leg bone buried with a small child in a kurgan built by the Maykop culture at Aygurskiy, in southern Russia.

From Science Magazine ● Oct. 20, 2021

When the kurgan or mound burial at a site called Koitas was excavated,  from it emerged the bones of a 25-45-year-old man, carbon dated to the 7th to 6th centuries BC.

From Forbes ● Jun. 8, 2015

Bronze Age kurgan makers carried their culture and their Indo-European dialects across Europe and as far as China and India, where rich men were buried alongside horse and cattle sacrifices.

From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2012

A "colossal" amount of water is moving towards the Russian city of Kurgan, the region's governor has said.

From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2024

Kurgan, the regional capital and city of 300,000, lies downstream and is also thought to be at risk.

From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2024

The emergencies ministry in Kurgan region near the border with Kazakhstan said 46 suspects had been identified and seven criminal cases had been initiated against alleged arsonists.

From Reuters ● May 9, 2023

Vadim Shumkov, governor of Kurgan region, announced on his Telegram channel he was cancelling Tuesday’s planned Victory Day parade and fireworks display due to the fires, although concerts and other events would continue.

From Reuters ● May 9, 2023

In green enchantment stands the Kurgan,   Where evening dampness doth enfold, The night descends with sleep and coolness,   The morning sunbeams touch with gold.

From Russian Lyrics by Bianchi, Martha Dickinson