seljuk

/ˈsɛld͡ʒuːk/

Etymology

From Ottoman Turkish سلجوق (selcuk), ultimately from Old Anatolian Turkish سلجك (sälcük) attested in the Dede Korkut and Karakhanid سلجك (Selcuk) attested in Mahmud al-Kashgari's Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk, of uncertain etymology. Compare modern Turkish Selçuk. Pelliot & al. favored derivation via Arabic سَلْجُوق (Saljūq) from Proto-Oghuz [Term?] (*Sälčük), following some accounts taking the name from Proto-Turkic *sāl (“raft”) + *-čük (“-ock, -let: forming diminutives”) from the warlord's supposed birth on a raft on the Syr Darya. There are other early Persian and Arabic transcriptions, however, including سلجوك (Saljūk), سلچوق (Salčūq), and سلجق (Saljuq). Some sources take the original form of the name to have been *Salçuğ or *Salçığ with the meaning "one who fights", "disputes", or "struggles"

adj

  1. Of or related to Seljuk, to his dynasty, to their empire in southwestern Asia, or to the period of their rule from the 11th–14th centuries.“Seljuk architecture”

name

  1. Seljuk Bey, the legendary founder of an Oghuz Turk dynasty that ruled an eponymous Sunni Muslim empire in Southwest Asia and numerous successor states, particularly in Anatolia.“...the House of Seljuk...”
  2. A unisex given name from Turkish.

noun

  1. A member of the Seljuk dynasty.
  2. A person of the Seljuk empire.“the Great Seljuks”