yurt
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of yurt
First recorded in 1885–90; from Russian yurt, from Turkic; compare Turkish yurt “home, fatherland,” with cognates meaning “abode, dwelling” in all branches of Turkic
Explanation
A yurt is a round, tent-like home. Traditional yurts are portable, lending themselves well to nomadic lifestyles. A yurt's structure is usually provided by flexible wooden framing, covered by furs, felt, or canvas. The word comes from the Russian yurta, from a Turkic root that means "homeland," also literally referring to the imprint a yurt leaves in the ground when it's moved. In various parts of Central Asia, yurts have been common dwellings for thousands of years. In the U.S., where they're often used for camping, their popularity is more recent.
Vocabulary lists containing yurt
Chinese History - Introductory
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Chinese History - Middle School and High School
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for August 27–September 2, 2022
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I will not lie: Whenever I hear a HOF debate, in any sport, I want to cover myself in a weighted blanket and lie in a very dark room, perhaps in Rodgers’s yurt.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026
So much so that she was able to move her spiritual practice out of the yurt in her backyard and into the building on Ventura last January.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 8, 2025
A number of Glastonbury glampers have been left ticketless and out of pocket weeks before the festival after a luxury yurt company went into liquidation.
From BBC • May 22, 2025
Several said the traditional Mongolian ger, or round-shaped yurt, was a potent symbol of harmony with the divine — a warm place of family unity, open to the heavens, where strangers are welcome.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 2, 2023
I stood with my arms hanging at my sides, because I no longer had any use in Smithy’s yurt.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
