Tocharian

or To·khar·i·an

[ toh-kair-ee-uhn, -kahr- ]

noun

1. a member of a central Asian people of high culture, who were assimilated with other peoples about the 11th century a.d.
2. the language of the Tocharians, an extinct Indo-European language, having an eastern dialect Tocharian A and a western dialect Tocharian B, records of which date from a.d. c600–c1000.

adjective

1. of or relating to the Tocharians or their language.

Tocharian

/ tɒˈkɑːrɪən /

noun

1. a member of an Asian people with a complex material culture, sometimes thought to be of European origin, who lived in the Tarim Basin until overcome by the Uighurs around 800 ad
2. the language of this people, known from records in a N Indian script of the 7th and 8th centuries ad . It belongs to the Indo-European family, is regarded as forming an independent branch, and shows closer affinities with the W or European group than with the E or Indo-Iranian group. The language is recorded in two dialects, known as Tocharian A and Tocharian B

Word History and Origins

Origin of Tocharian¹

1925–30; < Greek Tóchar ( oi ) a Central Asian people (thought to have been the language's speakers when its remains were first discovered) + -ian

Word History and Origins

Origin of Tocharian¹

C20: ultimately from Greek Tokharoi, name of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

Ancient Eurasian nomads that originally settled in the Kushan Empire — called the "Tocharians" by Greco Roman authors — may also have spoken the language, which the researchers have proposed to call "Eteo-Tocharian."

From Scientific American

Both ideas suggest these people brought Tocharian, an extinct branch of Indo-European languages, to the region.

From Science Magazine

Linguists have long puzzled over an Indo-European language once spoken in western China called Tocharian.

From New York Times

Tocharian, for instance, is a group of Indo-European languages spoken in northwest China.

From New York Times

Records of 28 different languages have been found there, including Tocharian, unique to the region.

From New York Times