List of English Words of Turkic Origin - B

B

Bahadur

from Urdu bahādur "brave, brave person", from Persian, probably from Mongolian, cf. Classical Mongolian baγatur, which is from Turkic, perhaps originally a Turkic personal name.

Bairam

from Turkish bayram, literally "a festival"

Baklava

from Turkish baklava

Balaclava

from Balaklava, village in the Crimea, which is from Turkish balıklava. A hoodlike knitted cap covering the head, neck, and part of the shoulders and worn especially by soldiers and mountaineers.

Balalaika

from Russian balalaika, of Turkic origin.

Balkan

from Turkish balkan "a mountain chain", relating to the states of the Balkan Peninsula, or their peoples, languages, or cultures.

Bamia

from Turkish bamya.

Ban

from Romanian, from Serbo-Croatian ban, "lord", which is from Turkic bayan, "very rich person" : bay, "rich" + -an, intensive suff.

Barbotte

from Canadian French barbotte, which is from Turkish barbut. A dice game

Barchan/Barkhan

from Russian, which is from Kirghiz barkhan. A moving sand dune shaped like a crescent and found in several very dry regions of the world

Bashaw

from Turkish başa, a variant of pasha

Bashi-bazouk

from Turkish başıbozuk

Bashlyk

from Turkish başlık, "a hood", from baş, "a head"

Batman

from Turkish batman. Any of various old Persian or Turkish units of weight

Beetewk

from Russian bityug, bityuk, which is from Turkic bitük, akin to Chagatai bitü, Uzbek bitäü. A Russian breed of heavy draft horses.

Beg

from Turkic beg, an alternative form of bey

Beglerbeg

from Turkish beylerbeyi, a variant of beylerbey

Begum

from Urdu begam, which is from East Turkic begüm

Behcet

from the name of Turkish scientist Hulusi Behçet, a multisystem, chronic recurrent disease.

Bektashi

from Turkish bektaşi

Bergamot

from French bergamote, from Italian bergamotta, ultimately from Turkish bey armudu, literally, "the bey's pear"

Bey

from Turkish bey

Beylerbey

from Turkish beylerbeyi

Beylik

from Turkish beylik

Binbashi

from Turkish binbaşı, "chief of a thousand", bin "thousand" + bash "head". (Mil.) A major in the Turkish army.

Bogatyr

from Russian bogatyr "hero, athlete, warrior", from Old Russian bogatyri, of Turkic origin; akin to Turkish batur "brave"

Borunduk

from Russian burunduk, which is from Mari uromdok or from Turkic burunduk. A Siberian ground squirrel.

Bosa, also Boza

from Turkish boza, a fermented drink

Bosh

from Turkish boş, which means "nonsense, empty" (Bosh on wiktionary)

Bostanji

from Turkish bostancı, literally "a gardener"

Bouzouki

from modern Greek mpouzoúki, which is from Turkish bozuk "broken, ruined, depraved" or büzük "constricted, puckered".

Boyar

from Russian boyarin, from Old Russian boljarin, from Turkic baylar, plural of bay, "rich"; akin to Turkish bay, "rich, gentleman".

Bridge game

the word came into English from the Russian word, biritch, which in turn originates from a Turkic word for "bugler" (in modern Turkish: borucu, borazancı) or might have come from a Turkish term bir, üç, or "one, three"

Bugger

from Middle English bougre, "heretic", from Old French boulgre, from Medieval Latin Bulgarus, from Greek Boulgaros, "Bulgarian", probably ultimately from Turkic bulghar, "of mixed origin, promiscuous" or "rebels", from bulgamaq, "to mix, stir, stir up".

Bulgar

from Bolgar, Bolghar, former kingdom on the Volga river around Kazan (see bugger). A Russian leather originally from Bolgar.

Bulgur

from Turkish bulgur, which means "pounded wheat"

Buran

from Russian buran, of Turkic origin, probably from Tatar buran

Burka

from Russian, probably from buryi "dark brown (of a horse)", probably of Turkic origin; akin to Turkish bur "red like a fox"; the Turkic word probably from Persian bor "reddish brown"; akin to Sanskrit babhru "reddish brown".