aul

Where does the word "aul" come from? It comes from Kipchak Turkic awıl, passing through Russian before entering English (1830s).

Aul’s story begins in Kipchak Turkic: awıl meant “nomad camp.” A camp of yurts belonging to related families. By 1800s, the word had taken hold in Russian as aul. Used for the mountain villages of the Caucasus in the tales of Pushkin, Lermontov and Tolstoy. It reached English by 1830s as aul. Kept in English translations of Russian Caucasian stories such as Tolstoy's 'Hadji Murat'. Today, aul means a village or nomad camp in the Caucasus or Central Asia.

1. Stage 1 · Kipchak Turkic · medieval awıl "nomad camp", a camp of yurts belonging to related families.
2. Stage 2 · Russian · 1800s aul "Caucasian village", used for the mountain villages of the Caucasus in the tales of Pushkin, Lermontov and Tolstoy.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1830s aul "a Caucasian village", kept in English translations of Russian Caucasian stories such as Tolstoy's 'Hadji Murat'.