Circassian

American  

[ser-kash-uhn, -ee-uhn] / sərˈkæʃ ən, -i ən /

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Circassia.

2. a group of North Caucasian languages, including Kabardian.

3. a literary language based on the western dialects of the Circassian group.

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adjective

1. of or relating to Circassia, its inhabitants, often with respect to their legendary beauty, or their language.

Circassian British  

/ sɜːˈkæsɪən /

noun

1. a native of Circassia

2. a language or languages spoken in Circassia, belonging to the North-West Caucasian family See also Adygei Kabardian

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adjective

1. relating to Circassia, its people, or language

Etymology

Origin of Circassian

First recorded in 1545–55; from Medieval Latin or New Latin Circassi(a) + -an

Example Sentences

Women who came from the Slavic areas of the Ottoman Empire, which extended all the way into the Circassian mountains, in what is now Bulgaria, would be taken because of how they looked.

From Salon • Feb. 27, 2024

But after violence broke out between the island’s Greek and Turkish communities, her ethnically Turkish, Circassian and Kurdish family fled to the U.K. when she was 5.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 20, 2023

The Burji sultans were mamluks of primarily Circassian and Georgian origin, unlike the Turks of the Bahri dynasty.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

Morgan’s private library is kitted out with three tiers of Circassian walnut bookshelves, under a vaulted ceiling painted with muses and zodiac signs.

From New York Times • Nov. 28, 2019

The Circassian applied the black stuff under my eyes, on my cheeks, and to the sides of my nose.

From The Ascent of the Matterhorn by Whymper, Edward