Word origins

• beshlikA silver coin of the Ottoman Empire.
• bucakA subdistrict of a district within a Turkish province.
• BüşraA female given name from Turkish
• cacikA Turkish dish made from yoghurt, salt, olive oil, crushed garlic, chopped cucumber, and mint.
• ÇanakkaleA province of Turkey, along the Dardanelles.
• cemeviAn Alevi place of worship or cultural center.
• chekmakA Turkish fabric of silk and cotton, with gold thread interwoven.
• cig kofteAn Anatolian dish made from raw ground meat (often lamb or beef), bulgur, onion, tomato paste, hot red pepper paste, and urfa biber, wrapped in lettuce.
• CimbomGalatasaray S.K.
• cizyeSynonym of jizya (“Islamic poll tax”).
• ÇoruhA river in Turkey flowing north through the Armenian Highland and emptying into the Black Sea in the Adjara region of Georgia.
• ÇorumA province in southwestern Turkey.
• DavutoğluA surname from Turkish.
• dedebabaA spiritual and religious leader of the Bektashi community.
• defterA type of tax register that was used in the Ottoman Empire.
• derebeyA feudal lord in the Ottoman Empire.
• dirhemA former small Turkish unit of weight, variously reckoned as 1.5–3.5 g (0.05–0.12 oz.).
• dolmusSynonym of shared taxi.
• dondurmaA Turkish mastic ice cream.
• donekA breed of fancy pigeon.
• doner kebabA Turkish dish in which meat (typically seasoned lamb or mutton, but alternatively chicken or perhaps beef) is grilled on a revolving vertical spit; when cooked, the meat is sliced off and served with fresh vegetables in pita or rolled in a piece of unleavened flatbread.
• DönmehA group of crypto-Jews in the Ottoman Empire who, to avoid imprisonment after declaring arrival of the doomsday messiah, converted publicly to Islam, but retained their Jewish beliefs in secret.
• dürümA traditional Turkish wrap (which is made from lavash or yufka flatbread) that is filled with typical doner kebab ingredients.
• ekmek kadayifA Turkish bread pudding dessert, also found in Greece.
• ElâzığA province in eastern Turkey.
• Eleme figA superior kind of fig (the fruit).
• ErdoğanA village in Ahırlı district.
• EskişehirA province and metropolitan municipality in interior northwestern Turkey.
• gangavaA small boat used for sponge fishing.
• GeliboluA city on the Gallipoli Pensinsula in Turkey.
• GöktaşA surname from Turkish.
• GöktürkA member of a powerful nomadic confederation in medieval Asia
• GümüşhaneA province in northeastern Turkey.
• guzeA roundlet of the sanguine tincture, which is blazoned without mention of the tincture.
• haremlikA harem.
• HemshinA member of a subethnic unit of the Armenian people, which in the past or present has been affiliated with the Hemşin district in the province of Rize, Turkey
• HüsnaA female given name from Turkish
• huzunA feeling of somber and listless melancholy caused by one's personal failings but which is felt communally as a universal and perhaps uplifting experience.
• IğdırA province in easternmost Turkey, with Azerbaijani and Kurdish majority.
• imam bayildiA Turkish dish of aubergine stuffed with onion, garlic, and tomatoes then simmered in olive oil.
• isoturfa biber (pepper variety)
• IstanbulluAn inhabitant of Istanbul, Turkey.
• İzmirA province and metropolitan municipality in western Anatolia in Turkey, along the Mediterranean coast.
• KahramanmaraşA province and metropolitan municipality in southern Turkey.
• KarabükA province in the Black Sea region, Turkey.
• kaymakA creamy dairy product, similar to clotted cream, made in the Balkans, Turkey, the Middle East, Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, and India. It is made from the milk of water buffalos in the East or of cows in the West.
• keffekilA kind of clay; meerschaum.
• kilijA kind of Turkish saber.
• kisbetA pair of loose-fitting leather trousers worn by wrestlers in Turkish oil wrestling competitions.
• kisirA spicy salad dish from Turkey made from bulgur wheat, similar to tabbouleh.
• kis-kilimA kind of Turkey carpet woven by a girl as a gift for her future husband.
• Kizil IrmakThe longest river flowing entirely within Turkey.
• KocakA surname from Turkish.
• külliyeA Turkish mosque complex.
• kurabiyeA cookie, particularly a sweet cookie (originally Middle Eastern, now also Turkish, Greek and Albanian), often made with almonds or hazelnuts.
• kurusA subdivision of currency, equal to one hundredth of a Turkish lira.
• KütahyaA province in the Aegean region, Turkey.
• lahmacunA dish of Arab origin consisting of a round, thin piece of dough topped with minced meat (most commonly beef and lamb).
• lavtaA plucked string music instrument from Constantinople.
• LefkoşaSynonym of Nicosia: the capital city of Cyprus and Northern Cyprus; a district around the city.
• lokumTurkish delight
• menemenA popular traditional Turkish dish
• meyhaneA Turkish bar
• muhtarAn elected village or neighborhood official in modern Turkey.
• MuşA province in eastern Turkey, with a Kurdish and formerly Armenian majority.
• NusaybinA city in Mardin Province in southeastern Turkey, the ancient Nisibis.
• OghuzA group of south-western Turkic people, including the Turks and Turkmens
• OsmaniyeA province in southern Turkey.
• OzsuA surname from Turkish.
• parmakAn old Turkish unit of length.
• PatnosA city and district of Ağrı Province, Turkey.
• rastikA blend of henna and various other ingredients, traditionally used to dye the hair.
• RazgatlıoğluA surname from Turkish
• SamsatA town, the capital of Samat district, Adıyaman Province, Turkey, populated by Bezikan Kurds.
• SelçukA town, municipality, and district of İzmir Province, Turkey, near the ruins of ancient Ephesus.
• shish kebabA dish made of small pieces of meat, with or without vegetables, which are skewered on a wooden or metal stick and roasted in an oven or over an open fire.
• SilifkeA town in Mersin Province, Turkey.
• simitA ring-shaped bread roll covered with sesame seeds.
• SolakA surname.
• Süper LigThe highest division of professional men's football in Turkey.
• tantuniA type of street food originating from Mersin consisting of stir-fried chopped beef or lamb, onions, peppers, tomatoes, and spices in pita or yufka bread.
• taratorA nut- or tahini- based sauce made with lemon juice and garlic that is found in Middle Eastern cuisine
• tarhanaA dried food based on a fermented mixture of grain and yogurt or fermented milk, usually made into a thick soup with water, stock, or milk.
• tezkereAn official certificate, license, or other such document
• TireboluA town in Giresun Province, Turkey.
• TufekciA surname from Turkish.
• tughraA calligraphic signature of an Ottoman sultan (and some other rulers to the present day) that was affixed to official documents, carved on his seal, and stamped on coins and inscribed on some stamps issued during his reign.
• tulipantA turban.
• tulumbaA dessert in Turkey, the Middle East and eastern Europe, consisting of fried batter soaked in syrup, similar to a churro.
• TürkiyeA country located in Eastern Thrace in Southeastern Europe and Anatolia in West Asia.
• urfa biberA smoky, sweet-and-sour variety of pepper cultivated in and around Şanlıurfa.
• UskudarA quarter in Istanbul, Turkey, formerly known as Scutari.
• YazanA transliteration of the Arabic male given name يازن.
• YıldırımA surname from Turkish
• YumurtalıkA port and resort town in Adana Province, in southeastern Turkey.
• zaptiéA gendarme / carabineer in Italian colonies of the Ottoman Empire
• zurnaA double-reed outdoor wind instrument, usually accompanied by a davul (bass drum) in Anatolian folk music.