Turkestan

or Tur·ki·stan

[ tur-kuh-stan, -stahn, tur-kuh-stan, -stahn ]

noun

a vast region in western and central Asia, east of the Caspian Sea: includes territory in the south central part of Xinjiang province in China (Eastern Turkestan or Chinese Turkestan ), a strip of northern Afghanistan, and the area (Russian Turkestan ) comprising the republics of Kazakhstan, Kirghizia (Kyrgyzstan), Tadzhikistan (Tajikistan), Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Origin of Turkestan

First recorded in 1710–20; from Persian Torkestān; literally, “land of the Turks”

Other words from Turkestan

Tur·ke·stan·i·an, adjective, noun

Words Nearby Turkestan

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Turkestan in a sentence

The piedmont zone of grasslands in Turkestan was an ideal land for primitive agriculturists practising a hoe-culture, as at Anau.
The New Stone Age in Northern Europe | John M. Tyler
Even in eastern Turkestan there are still strong evidences of Nordic blood in the physiognomy of the people.
The Outline of History: Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind | Herbert George Wells
As long as we were on the great winter route to Eastern Turkestan they must all believe that Khotan was my destination.
Trans-Himalaya, Vol. 2 (of 2) | Sven Hedin
I wanted to get out of this labyrinth of mountains and valleys which pour their waters into Eastern Turkestan.
Trans-Himalaya, Vol. 2 (of 2) | Sven Hedin
In the centre of Turkestan are but few good cities; but the best city of that land is called Octorar.
Early Travels in Palestine | Arculf et al.

British Dictionary definitions for Turkestan

Turkestan

Turkistan

/ (ˌtɜːkɪˈstɑːn) /

noun

an extensive region of central Asia between Siberia in the north and Tibet, India, Afghanistan, and Iran in the south: formerly divided into West (Russian) Turkestan (also called Soviet Central Asia), comprising present-day Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan and the S part of Kazakhstan, and East (Chinese) Turkestan, approximating to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China

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

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