List of Replaced Loanwords in Turkish - Word Derivations

Word Derivations

Most of the new Turkish words are derived from other words with thematic suffixes. For example:

Bat- is the root of the verb batmak, which means to sink or to set. The derived word batı means west. Another example would be aylık, which means salary as well as monthly. This is derived from the word ay, which means month.

Here are some other examples of derivations:

• gün means day -> günce means agenda, güncel means current, gündem means current events and news, güncellemek means to update, günay means date, güney means south, güneş means sun, günlük means diary, gündüz means day time (opposite of night) or morning,
• kes- is the root of the verb to cut -> kesi means incision, kesici means cutter, kesin means accurate, kesinlikle means definitely, kesinleşmek means to become definite, kesinsizlik means the state of indefinity, keskenmek means to pretend to hit with a hand motion, kesmece is a saying that means the agreement of cutting a fruit before buying it, keser means adze, kesiklik means sudden feeling of tiredness, lethargy, kesilmek means to act like something, kesir means fraction, kesirli means fractional, kesit means cross section, keski means chisel, keskin means sharp, keskinlik means acuity and sharpness, kesim means segment, kesimlik means animal (or tree) fit or ready to be slaughtered/cut, kesinti means interruption, kesintili means on and off, kesintisiz means uninterrupted and seamless, kesme means an object cut in the form of a geometrical shape, kestirme means short-cut, kesik means interrupted, kestirmek means to forecast and to nap, kestirim means guess, kesen means a line that intersects a geometrical entity, kesenek means deduction, kesişmek means to intersect, kesişim means intersection,
• sap- is the root of the verb to deviate -> sapık means pervert, sapak means turn (as in roads, traffic),
• duy- is the root of the verb to hear, to feel -> duyu means sensory, duyarlı means sensitive, duyarlılık means sensitivity, duygu means feeling, duyarga(ç) means sensor, duyargan means allergen, duyarca means allergy, duyum means hearsay, duyumsamazlık means apathy,
• yet- is the root of the verb to suffice -> yeter means sufficient, yetki means authority, yetenek means talent,
• başka means other -> başkalaşım means metamorphosis,
• tek means single -> tekel means monopoly, tekdüze means monotonous,
• ev means home -> evlilik means marriage, evcil means domestic,
• seç- is the root of the verb to choose -> seçenek means choice, seçkin means elite, seçim means election,
• düş- is the root of the verb to fall -> düşük means miscarriage,
• sür- is the root of the verb to last, to put forward -> süreğen means chronic, sürüm means version,
• yaz- is the root of the verb to write -> yazar means writer, yazgı means fate, yazılım means software, yazanak means report, yazıt means inscription, yazman means secretary, yazıcı means printer, yazın means literature, yazım means orthography, yazışma means correspondence, yazdırım means dictation,
• ver- is the root of the verb to give -> veri means data, vergi means tax, verim means efficiency,
• öz means self, real -> özel means special, özen means attention, özgü means peculiar, özgül means specific, özge means other, özne means subject, özgün means original, özgür means free, özümleme means assimilation, öznel means subjective. The verb özle- (meaning to miss, to long for) is also derived from this word, and özlem is a noun that means longing.

Some of the Turkish words are also compound words, such as:

• Başvuru means application. It is derived from baş (meaning head) and vuru (meaning hitting), so the literal English translation of this compound word would be head-hitting

• Ayak means foot, and kap means peel, and the compound verb ayakkabı means shoe.

• Ana means mother, and yasa means law, and the compound verb anayasa means constitution

• Öz means self, and veri means giving, and the compound word özveri means altruism, self-sacrifice.

• Büyük means big, and elçi means messenger, and the compound word büyükelçi means ambassador.

• Kesim means cutting, ev means home, and kesimevi means slaughterhouse.

For more information, see the related article: Turkish vocabulary.