khan

/kɑːn/

khan

English Noun Top 4,427

American (Lessac) (medium)

Female 0.6s

American (Amy) (medium)

Female 0.7s

American (Ryan) (medium)

Male 0.2s

Definition

A ruler over various Turkic and Mongol peoples in the Middle Ages.

Etymology

Via late Middle English can, chan from Old French chan, from Medieval Latin chanis, from Turkic *qan, contraction of *qaɣan. Cognate with Old Turkic 𐰴𐰍𐰣 (qaɣan), and Mongolian хаан (xaan), possibly from Rouran. Sense 1 (ruler in the Middle Ages) after Genghis Khan, from Middle Mongol ᠬᠠᠭᠠᠨ (qaɣan). Doublet of khagan.