hephthaliteEtymologyHypercorrect respelling of Ephthalite, with unetymological initial h-, from Latin Ephthalītēs, from Ancient Greek Ἐφθαλίτης (Ephthalítēs), from Bactrian Ηβοδαλο (Ēbodalo) + Ancient Greek -ίτης (-ítēs).adjOf or relating to the Hephthalites.“From the mid-fifth to the mid-sixth century Central Asia was ruled by the Hephthalite tribes. There are many gaps in our knowledge of the origin of the Hephthalites and the formation of their state, the first difficulty being that they are given different names in the various sources.”nounAny of a people who comprised a nomadic confederation in Central Asia during the 5th–6th centuries CE.“From the mid-fifth to the mid-sixth century Central Asia was ruled by the Hephthalite tribes. There are many gaps in our knowledge of the origin of the Hephthalites and the formation of their state, the first difficulty being that they are given different names in the various sources.”