yataghan

or yat·a·gan

[ yat-uh-gan, -guhn; Turkish yah-tah-gahn ]

/ ˈyæt əˌgæn, -gən; Turkish ˌyɑ tɑˈgɑn /

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noun

a Turkish saber having a doubly curved blade, concave toward the hilt, and a hilt with a prominent pommel and no guard.

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Also at·a·ghan

[at-uh-gan, -guhn] /ˈæt əˌgæn, -gən/ .

Origin of yataghan

First recorded in 1810–20, yataghan is from the Turkish word yatağan

Words nearby yataghan

yashmak, Yasht, Yasmin, Yasna, Yastrzemski, yataghan, ya-ta-ta, yate, Yathrib, yatter, Yauco

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

How to use yataghan in a sentence

Decatur saw another Turk just beside him raise his yataghan high above his head, and he felt that he was lost.
Pike & Cutlass|George Gibbs
I accept the little yataghan, but sincerely wish the present had been of less value.
Lord Kilgobbin|Charles Lever
Our fare consisted of cold meat carved in slices with the yataghan, and rum out of the mouth of the same bottle.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine -- Volume 57, No. 351, January 1845|Various
His bernouse flew aside and from the open breast the handle of a yataghan peeped; no cord or belt held it.
The Son of Monte-Cristo, Volume I (of 2)|Alexandre Dumas pre

He retired to rest as usual, placed his yataghan under his pillow, and waited till all was quiet in the palace.
The Days of Chivalry|Ernest Louis Victor Jules L'Epine

British Dictionary definitions for yataghan

yataghan

ataghan

/ (ˈjætəɡən) /

noun

a Turkish sword with a curved single-edged blade

Word Origin for yataghan

C19: from Turkish yataǧan

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