Altaic

[ al-tey-ik ]

noun
  1. the Turkic, Mongolian, and Tungusic language families collectively, spoken over a broad expanse of Eurasia, from southeastern Europe to the Pacific: variously considered to be a single, genetically related family, with Japanese and Korean sometimes also included, or a group of languages with shared typologies and histories, but not genetically akin.

adjective
  1. of or belonging to Altaic.

  2. of or relating to the Altai Mountains.

Origin of Altaic

1
First recorded in 1825–35; Alta(i) + -ic
  • Also Al·ta·ian [al-tey-uhn, -tahy-]. /ælˈteɪ ən, -taɪ-/.

Words Nearby Altaic

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How to use Altaic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Altaic

Altaic

/ (ælˈteɪɪk) /


noun
  1. a postulated family of languages of Asia and SE Europe, consisting of the Turkic, Mongolic, and Tungusic branches, and perhaps also Japanese, Korean, and Ainu: See also Ural-Altaic

adjective
  1. denoting, belonging to, or relating to this linguistic family or its speakers

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