Meanings
Turkmen1
proper noun
alternative Turcoman · alternative Turkoman · alternative Turkman · alternative Turkmán · alternative Türkman · alternative rare Türkmen
- A Turkic language of the Turkmen spoken mostly in Turkmenistan.
nounTurkmen (plural Turkmen or Turkmens)
plural Turkmens · alternative Turcoman · alternative Turkoman · alternative Turkman · alternative Turkmán · alternative Türkman · alternative rare Türkmen
- A person from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent.
Keimir-Ker, a Turkmen from the Tekke clan, led a rebellion against the Persians […]
2009, Barbara A. West, Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Asia and Oceania, page 8411 more example
The conquest took 16 years and ended in 1885 in a battle with the Afghans on the banks of the Murghab. During this period, the Turkmens offered the Russians stubborn resistance […]
2005, Chahryar Adle, History of Civilizations of Central Asia, page 316
adjectiveTurkmen (not comparable)
alternative Turcoman · alternative Turkoman · alternative Turkman · alternative Turkmán · alternative Türkman · alternative rare Türkmen
- not comparableOf, from, or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language.
Turkmen2
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna member of a Turkic people living in Turkmenistan and neighboring areas
Broader
nounthe Turkic language spoken by the Turkoman
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Turkmen · proper noun, noun, adjective
The current majority view for the etymology of the ethnonym Türkmen or Turcoman is that it comes from Türk and the Turkic emphasizing suffix -men, meaning "'most Turkish of the Turks' or 'pure-blooded Turks.'" A folk etymology, dating back to the Middle Ages and found in al-Biruni and Mahmud al-Kashgari, instead derives the suffix -men from the Persian suffix -mānind, with the resulting word meaning "like a Turk". While formerly the dominant etymology in modern scholarship, this mixed Turkic-Persian derivation is now viewed as incorrect.
Full word history & related roots →Turkmen · noun
Treated as a plural of the deprecated term Turkman, influenced by English man, plural men.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic اللُّغَة التُّرْكُمَانِيَّة, التُّرْكُمَانِيَّة
- اللُّغَة التُّرْكُمَانِيَّة (al-luḡa t-turkumāniyya)language spoken in Turkmenistan
- التُّرْكُمَانِيَّة (at-turkumāniyya)language spoken in Turkmenistan
- تُرْكُمَانِيّ (turkumāniyy)person from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- تُرْكُمَانِيَّة (turkumāniyya)person from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- تُرْكُمَانِيّ (turkumāniyy)of or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
Basque turkmenera
- turkmeneralanguage spoken in Turkmenistan
Bulgarian туркме́нски
- туркме́нски (turkménski)of or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
Catalan turcman, turcman
- turcmanlanguage spoken in Turkmenistan
- turcmanperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- turcmanaperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- turcmanof or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
Chinese Mandarin 土庫曼語 /土库曼语, 土庫曼人 /土库曼人
- 土庫曼語 /土库曼语 (tǔkùmànyǔ)language spoken in Turkmenistan
- 土庫曼人 /土库曼人 (tǔkùmànrén)person from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- 土庫曼 /土库曼 (Tǔkùmàn)of or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
Czech turkmenština, Turkmen
- turkmenštinalanguage spoken in Turkmenistan
- Turkmenperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- Turkmenkaperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- turkmenskýof or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
Dutch Turkmeens, Turkmeen
- Turkmeenslanguage spoken in Turkmenistan
- Turkmeenperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- Turkmeenseperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- Turkmeensof or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
Esperanto turkmena lingvo, turkmeno
- turkmena lingvolanguage spoken in Turkmenistan
- turkmenoperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- turkmeninoperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- turkmenaof or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
Finnish turkmeeni, turkmeeni
- turkmeenilanguage spoken in Turkmenistan
- turkmeeniperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
French turkmène, Turkmène
- turkmènelanguage spoken in Turkmenistan
- Turkmèneperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- turkmèneof or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
German Turkmenisch, turkmenische Sprache
- Turkmenischlanguage spoken in Turkmenistan
- turkmenische Sprachelanguage spoken in Turkmenistan
- Turkmeneperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- Turkmeninperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- turkmenischof or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
Greek τουρκμενικός
- τουρκμενικός (tourkmenikós)of or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
Hindi तुर्कमेनी, तुर्कमेनी
- तुर्कमेनी (turkamenī)language spoken in Turkmenistan
- तुर्कमेनी (turkamenī)person from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- तुर्कमेनी (turkamenī)of or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
Hungarian türkmén, türkmén
- türkménperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- türkménof or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
Irish Tuircméinis, Tuircméanastánach
- Tuircméinislanguage spoken in Turkmenistan
- Tuircméanastánachof or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
Italian turkmeno, turkmeno
- turkmenolanguage spoken in Turkmenistan
- turkmenoof or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
Japanese トルクメン語, トルクメン人
- トルクメン語 (torukumengo)language spoken in Turkmenistan
- トルクメン人 (torukumenjin)person from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
Korean 투르크멘어
- 투르크멘어 (tureukeumeneo)language spoken in Turkmenistan
Latvian turkmēņu, turkmēņu valoda
- turkmēņulanguage spoken in Turkmenistan
- turkmēņu valodalanguage spoken in Turkmenistan
- turkmēnisperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- turkmēnieteperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- turkmēņuof or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
- turkmēnisksof or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
Norwegian Bokmål turkmensk, turkmener
- turkmensklanguage spoken in Turkmenistan
- turkmenerperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- turkmenskof or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
Persian ترکمن, ترکمان
- ترکمن (torkaman)person from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- ترکمان (torkmân)person from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- ترکمنی (torkamani)of or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
Polish Turkmen, Turkmenka
- Turkmenperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- Turkmenkaperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- turkmeńskiof or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
Portuguese turcomeno, turcomeno
- turcomenolanguage spoken in Turkmenistan
- turcomenoperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- turcomanoperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- turcomenoof or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
- turcomanoof or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
Romanian turkmenă, turkmen
- turkmenălanguage spoken in Turkmenistan
- turkmenperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- turkmenăperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- turkmenof or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
Russian туркме́нский, туркме́н
- туркме́нский (turkménskij)language spoken in Turkmenistan
- туркме́н (turkmén)person from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- туркме́нка (turkménka)person from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- туркме́нский (turkménskij)of or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
Slovak turkménčina, Turkmén
- turkménčinalanguage spoken in Turkmenistan
- Turkménperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- Turkménecperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- Turkménkaperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- turkménskyof or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
Spanish turcomano, turcomano
- turcomanolanguage spoken in Turkmenistan
- turcomanoperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- turcomanaperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- turcomanoof or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
Swahili Kiturukimeni, Mturukimeni
- Kiturukimenilanguage spoken in Turkmenistan
- Mturukimeniperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
Swedish turkmeniska, turkmen
- turkmeniskalanguage spoken in Turkmenistan
- turkmenperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- turkmenistanierperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- turkmenskof or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
Turkish Türkmence, Türkmen
- Türkmencelanguage spoken in Turkmenistan
- Türkmenperson from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- Türkmenof or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
Ukrainian туркме́н, туркме́нка
- туркме́н (turkmén)person from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- туркме́нка (turkménka)person from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
- туркме́нський (turkménsʹkyj)of or pertaining to Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people or the Turkmen language
Yiddish טורקמענער
- טורקמענער (túrkmener)person from Turkmenistan or of Turkmen descent
Cite this entry
APA
Turkmen. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Turkmen
MLA
“Turkmen.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Turkmen. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Turkmen,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Turkmen.
Source: Turkmen on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.