Hindu Kush

[ hin-doo koosh, kuhsh ]

noun

1. the Hindu Kush, a mountain range in southern Asia, mostly in northeastern Afghanistan, extending west from the Himalayas. Highest peak, Tirich Mir, 25,230 feet (7,690 meters).

Hindu Kush

/ kuːʃ; kʊʃ /

plural noun

1. a mountain range in central Asia, extending about 800 km (500 miles) east from the Koh-i-Baba Mountains of central Afghanistan to the Pamirs. Highest peak: Tirich Mir, 7690 m (25 230 ft)

Word History and Origins

Origin of Hindu Kush¹

First recorded in 1820–30; possibly from Persian koš, a derivative of the verb koštan “to kill,” the phrase meaning “Hindu killer” (from when slaves being transported from the Indian subcontinent to Central Asia died in the harsh climate of these mountains); possibly from Persian ‎ Hindūkuš, Hendukoš “Mountains of the Indus / of India,” which, in some 19th-century reports was also interpreted in a popular etymology as a compound of Hendu and koš “Hindu-slayer”

Example Sentences

In Central Asian watersheds, centered on high mountains, including the Himalaya Karakoram, Tianshan and Hindu Kush, flash drought extent shrank over the study period, bucking the worldwide trend.

From Science Daily

The epicenter of the quake was in the Hindu Kush mountain range in Afghanistan, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department.

From Seattle Times

Nestled in Pakistan's Hindu Kush mountains, the remote Kalash valley is a popular tourist destination.

From BBC

An estimated 90,000+ glaciers of the Himalayas, Karakorum and Hindu Kush mountains are currently at risk of reaching the tipping point, threatening the nearly 870 million people that rely on them.

From Science Daily

Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, as it lies near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.

From BBC