Uyghur

[ wee-goor ]

noun

, plural Uy·ghurs, (especially collectively) Uy·ghur.

1. a member of a predominantly Muslim Turkic-speaking people, dominant in Mongolia and eastern Turkestan from the 8th to 12th centuries a.d., and now living in northwestern China, mainly in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
2. the Turkic language of the Uyghurs.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Uyghurs or their language.

Other Words From

• Uy·ghu·ri·an [wee-, goor, -ee-, uh, n], Uy·ghu·ric adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Uyghur¹

First recorded in 1840–45; from Uyghur; a self-designation of the Uyghur people

Example Sentences

However, since then there have been tensions over issues including China's treatment of the Uyghur minority group in Xinjiang and pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong.

From BBC

The move marks a new effort by Beijing to fight back against allegations from western officials and human rights activists that cotton and other goods in the region have been produced using forced labour from the Uyghur ethnic group.

From BBC

Ms Sun later told another Chinese official that she had argued with Ms Hochul’s speechwriter to get a mention of the “Uyghur situation” removed from a draft of the governor’s remarks.

From BBC

In addition to the Holocaust, the collaborative would focus on education about “other genocides, including, but not limited to, those of the Armenian, Bosnian, Cambodian, Guatemalan, Indigenous American, Rwandan, and Uyghur peoples” and “identify and confront anti-Semitism and hate in modern society.”

From Los Angeles Times

In recent years, Chinese authorities have been radically overhauling society in Xinjiang in an attempt to assimilate its minority Uyghur population into mainstream Chinese culture.

From BBC