khan

See also Khan, khàn, and khăn

English

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kɑːn/

• Audio (US)

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Etymology 1

From Old French chan or Latin canus, from Turkic khān ‘lord, prince’ (borrowed into Arabic, Persian, Mongolian etc.).

Noun

khan (plural khans)

1. after Genghis Khan, a ruler over various Turkish, Tatar and Mongol peoples in the Middle Ages
2. an Ottoman sultan
3. a noble or man of rank in various Muslim countries of Central Asia, including Afghanistan

Translations

a ruler over various Turkish, Tatar and Mongol peoples in the Middle Ages

Arabic: خان (ar) (khaan) m. Belarusian: хан (be) (xan) m. Bengali: খান (bn) (khān) Bulgarian: кан (bg) (кан) m., хан (bg) (xan) m. Chinese: Mandarin: 可汗 (cmn) (kèhán), 汗 (cmn) (hán) (as a suffix only) Czech: chán (cs) m. Finnish: kaani (fi) French: khan (fr) m. German: Khan (de) m. Greek: χάνος (el) (chános) m. Hindi: खान (hi) (khān), खन (hi) (khan) m., ख़ान (hi) (ḵẖān) m. Japanese: カーン (ja) (kān), カン (ja) (kan), ハーン (ja) (hān) Khmer: ខាន់ (km) (kʰan)

Korean: 칸 (ko) (kan) Macedonian: кан (mk) (kan) m., хан (mk) (xan) m. Mongolian: хаан (mn) (xaan) Persian: خان (fa) (khân) Polish: chan (pl) m. Portuguese: cã (pt) m. Russian: хан (ru) (xan) m. Serbo-Croatian: кан (sh) m., kan (sh) m. Spanish: kan (es) m. Tatar: хан (tt) (xan) Turkish: han (tr) Ukrainian: хан (uk) (xan) m. Urdu: خان (ur) (khān) m. Vietnamese: hãn (vi), khan (vi)

an Ottoman sultan

a noble man in various Muslim countries

Derived terms

• khanate

Etymology 2

From Persian خانه (xâne) which means house.

Noun

khan (plural khans)

1. a caravanserai; a resting-place for a travelling caravan

   • 1923: ‘Guess the name of that,’ she said, pointing to her delicate parts. The porter tried this name and that and ended by asking her to tell him and cease her slapping. ‘The khān of Abu-Mansur,’ she replied. — The Thousand Nights and One Night, tr. Powys Mathers

See also

• caravanserai

Anagrams

• ankh
• hank, Hank