Turandot

T1U1R1A1N1D2O1T1

proper noun

The fictional title character of Carlo Gozzi’s 1762 play Turandot, itself adapted from "Histoire du prince Calaf et de la princesse de la Chine" ('Story of Prince Calaf and the Princess of China') collected in Les Mille et Un Jours (1710–1712) by François Pétis de la Croix, and later featured in adaptations including Friedrich Schiller's 1801 play Turandot and Giacomo Puccini’s 1926 opera Turandot.

OriginItalian Turandot ← French Tourandocte ← Classical Persian تُورَاندُخْت →
UncommonScrabble 9
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. The fictional title character of Carlo Gozzi’s 1762 play Turandot, itself adapted from "Histoire du prince Calaf et de la princesse de la Chine" ('Story of Prince Calaf and the Princess of China') collected in Les Mille et Un Jours (1710–1712) by François Pétis de la Croix, and later featured in adaptations including Friedrich Schiller's 1801 play Turandot and Giacomo Puccini’s 1926 opera Turandot.

Origin

  1. Classical Persianتُورَاندُخْت
  2. FrenchTourandocte
  3. ItalianTurandot
  4. EnglishTurandot

Borrowed from Italian Turandot, from earlier Turandotte, from French Tourandocte, from Classical Persian تُورَاندُخْت (tūrān-duxt, female given name, literally “daughter of Turan”), from a medieval misreading of پُورَاندُخْت (pūrān-duxt), itself from پُورَان (pūrān, female given name) + دُخْت (duxt, “daughter”). Doublet of Purandukht, Turandukht, and Tourandocte.

More words from Italian, French, Classical Persian

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 圖蘭朵 /图兰朵
  • 圖蘭朵 /图兰朵 (Túlánduǒ)Translations
French Turandot
  • TurandotTranslations
Italian Turandot
  • TurandotTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

Turandot. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Turandot

MLA

“Turandot.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Turandot. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Turandot,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Turandot.

Source: Turandot on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.