Turkic

American  

[tur-kik] / ˈtɜr kɪk /

noun

1. a family of closely related languages of southwest, central, and northern Asia and eastern Europe, including Turkish, Azerbaijani, Turkmen, Uzbek, Kirghiz, and Yakut. Turk, Turk.

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adjective

1. of or relating to Turkic or Turkic-speaking peoples.

Turkic British  

/ ˈtɜːkɪk /

noun

1. a branch or subfamily of the Altaic family of languages, including Turkish, Turkmen, Kirghiz, Tatar, etc, members of which are found from Turkey to NE China, esp in central Asia

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Other Word Forms

• non-Turkic adjective

Etymology

Origin of Turkic

First recorded in 1855–60; Turk + -ic

Example Sentences

Kurds make up about nine percent of Iran's population, while the largest minority group is the Azeris, a Turkic people near Azerbaijan, though they are highly integrated in Iranian society.

From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026

The Azeris of Iran eye their flourishing Turkic brethren in Azerbaijan with a degree of envy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

Indigenous people, mostly Muslim Bashkirs, a Turkic ethnic group, make up just under a third of the region’s population.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 19, 2024

On its website, the defence ministry of the mostly ethnically Turkic south Caucasus state said the manoeuvres marking the centenary of the Turkish republic would take place on Oct. 23-25 in several regions.

From Reuters • Oct. 17, 2023

Background: The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first Bulgarian state.

From The 2002 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency