Meanings
alternative obsolete Tanguth · alternative obsolete Tongut · alternative obsolete Tanchut
- pluralplural onlyA Qiangic people of mediaeval northern China.
plural Tanguts · alternative obsolete Tanguth · alternative obsolete Tongut · alternative obsolete Tanchut
- A member of the Tangut people.
In the tenth century, livestock breeding was still the basic form of economic activity among the Tanguts. Chinese officials reported to the court: 'The Tanguts live in the sands, pasture livestock, and do not have a permanent place of residence.'⁴
2012 October 12, Anatoly M. Khazanov, Andre Wink, Nomads in the Sedentary World (Curzon-Iias Asian Studies), Routledge, →ISBN, page 1941 more example
In 1227, from his deathbed, as his armies lay siege to the Tangut capital, he ordered every Tangut to be slaughtered. His troops carried out his orders, even though he was dead by the time of the final slaughter. So complete was the extermination that until recently the Tangut were a historical blur virtually erased from history by the Mongols.
2007 October 10, Thomas Laird, The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama, Grove/Atlantic, Inc., →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 111
alternative obsolete Tanguth · alternative obsolete Tongut · alternative obsolete Tanchut
- Their Tibeto-Burman language.
- The logographic script uniquely used to write their language.
comparative more Tangut · superlative most Tangut · alternative obsolete Tanguth · alternative obsolete Tongut · alternative obsolete Tanchut
- not comparableusuallyOf or pertaining to the Tangut people, language or script.
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Medieval LatinTangut
- Old Turkic𐱃𐰭𐰆𐱃
- EnglishTangut
From a Middle Mongol exonym used by the Mongols, which would become the Classical Mongolian ᠲᠠᠩᠭᠤᠳ (tangɣud) that was phonetically transcribed in Ming-era Early Mandarin Chinese as 唐兀_惕 (/*tʰaŋ(ŋ)ut/) in the Chinese edition of the Secret History of the Mongols (《元朝秘史》). The designation ultimately derives from Old Turkic 𐱃𐰭𐰆𐱃 (t¹ŋwt¹) as attested in the 8th-century Bilgä Qaǧan stele. The English word, and similar forms in European languages, derives from Medieval Latin Tangut (*Tangunt in the Leiden manuscript) from the accounts of William of Rubruck compiled in the 1250s. The English form was attested in the writings of Richard Hakluyt who translated parts of William's accounts in the late 16th century.
More words from Old Turkic, Medieval Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan tangut
- tanguta people of China
Chinese Mandarin 党項, 西夏語 /西夏语
- 党項 (Dǎngxiàng)a people of China
- 西夏語 /西夏语 (xīxiàyǔ)the language of the Tangut people
- 西夏文 (xīxiàwén)the script used to write the Tangut language
Finnish tanguutit, tanguutti
- tanguutita people of China
- tanguuttiTranslations
- tanguuttithe language of the Tangut people
- tanguutin kirjoitusjärjestelmäthe script used to write the Tangut language
- tanguutti-relational adjective
- tanguuttilainenrelational adjective
French Tangoutes, Tangoute
- Tangoutesa people of China
- TangouteTranslations
- tangoutethe language of the Tangut people
- tangoutthe language of the Tangut people
German Tanguten, Tangute
- Tangutena people of China
- TanguteTranslations
- TangutinTranslations
- Tangutischthe language of the Tangut people
- tangutische Schriftthe script used to write the Tangut language
- tangutischrelational adjective
Japanese タングート人, 西夏語
- タングート人 (tangūto jin)a people of China
- 西夏語 (seikago)the language of the Tangut people
- 西夏文字 (seika moji)the script used to write the Tangut language
Polish Tanguci, Tangut
- Tangucia people of China
- TangutTranslations
- tanguckirelational adjective
Russian тангу́ты, тангу́т
- тангу́ты (tangúty)a people of China
- тангу́т (tangút)Translations
- тангу́тка (tangútka)Translations
- тангу́тский (tangútskij)the language of the Tangut people
- тангу́тское письмо́ (tangútskoje pisʹmó)the script used to write the Tangut language
- тангу́тский (tangútskij)relational adjective
Spanish Tangut, idioma Tangut
- Tanguta people of China
- idioma Tangutthe language of the Tangut people
- escritura Tangutthe script used to write the Tangut language
Vietnamese Tây Hạ
- Tây Hạa people of China
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
Tangut. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Tangut
“Tangut.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Tangut. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Tangut,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Tangut.
Source: Tangut on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.