Etymology Map
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Balkanize

3 stages from Ottoman Turkish to English.

Today it means to divide a region or group into smaller, mutually hostile parts

Where does the word "balkanize" come from? It comes from Ottoman Turkish balkan, passing through German before entering English (1914).

1
Stage 1 of 3
balkan
Ottoman Turkish · medieval
"wooded mountains"
the Turkish name for the Stara Planina range that crosses Bulgaria
2
Stage 2 of 3
Balkanhalbinsel
German · 1808
"Balkan Peninsula"
the geographer August Zeune extended the mountain name to the whole 'Balkan Peninsula' in 1808
3
Stage 3 of 3
Balkanize
English · 1914
"to split into hostile states"
said to have been coined by the editor J. L. Garvin, after the Ottoman Balkans broke into small warring states between 1878 and 1913
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Read the full story

Balkanize’s story begins in Ottoman Turkish: balkan meant “wooded mountains.” The Turkish name for the Stara Planina range that crosses Bulgaria. By 1808, the word had taken hold in German as Balkanhalbinsel. The geographer August Zeune extended the mountain name to the whole 'Balkan Peninsula' in 1808. It reached English by 1914 as Balkanize. Said to have been coined by the editor J. L. Garvin, after the Ottoman Balkans broke into small warring states between 1878 and 1913. Today, balkanize means to divide a region or group into smaller, mutually hostile parts.