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

It now seems that the Defense Department can project American power of a sort into the Hindu Kush but not Pikes Peak.

From The Daily Beast

And so, the American military leadership is left holding the bag, wondering how they got so lost in Hindu Kush.

From The Daily Beast

West of the Dorah pass the general level of the Hindu Kush is a good deal lower than that of its eastern section.

From Project Gutenberg

It commands four, if not five, of the most important passes across the Hindu Kush.

From Project Gutenberg

There are one or two circumstances about this exploration of the western Hindu Kush passes which deserve attention.

From Project Gutenberg

Near the assumed source, and not far south of the mines, there are two passes across the Hindu Kush, viz.

From Project Gutenberg

A slighter and long-headed brunet type is found south of Hindu Kush.

From Project Gutenberg