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

See Examples For:

Turkic

The Uyghurs, a Turkic minority, primarily hail from China's westernmost region, Xinjiang.

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 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

She disappeared in late 2017 amid a brutal government crackdown aimed at the Uyghurs, a Turkic, predominately Muslim ethnicity native to China’s northwest Xinjiang region.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 22, 2023

Azerbaijan, whose inhabitants are mostly Turkic Muslims, also claims deep historical ties to the region, which over the centuries has come under the sway of Persians, Turks and Russians.

From Reuters ● Sep. 19, 2023

In the north-east of Asia, on both sides of the river Lena, the Yakuts form the most remote link in the Turkic chain of languages.

From Lectures on The Science of Language by Max Müller