yataghan

or yat·a·gan

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

/ ˈyæt əˌgæn, -gən; Turkish ˌyɑ tɑˈgɑn /

Save This Word!

noun

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

QUIZ

FIRE UP YOUR VOCAB FOR A "RED" SYNONYMS QUIZ

No fire engine reds here, only a fierce collection of vibrant words for the color red to test yourself on.

Question 1 of 7

What does "amaranth" mean?

a legendary stone of impenetrable hardness

an imaginary, undying flower

a mythical creature

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

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. 2021

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