Etymology Map
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Bashlyk

3 stages from Tatar to English.

Today it means a hood with long ends that tie around the neck, worn by Cossacks and in the Caucasus

Where does the word "bashlyk" come from? It comes from Tatar başlıq, passing through Russian before entering English (1880s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
başlıq
Tatar · medieval
"hood"
from 'baş', head, plus the suffix '-lıq'
2
Stage 2 of 3
bashlyk
Russian · 1800s
"military hood"
fashionable after Bashkir cavalry fought Napoleon; made uniform issue for Cossack troops in 1862
3
Stage 3 of 3
bashlyk
English · 1880s
"Cossack hood"
used in English writing on the Caucasus and the Russian army
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Read the full story

Bashlyk’s story begins in Tatar: başlıq meant “hood.” From 'baş', head, plus the suffix '-lıq'. By 1800s, the word had taken hold in Russian as bashlyk. Fashionable after Bashkir cavalry fought Napoleon; made uniform issue for Cossack troops in 1862. It reached English by 1880s as bashlyk. Used in English writing on the Caucasus and the Russian army. Today, bashlyk means a hood with long ends that tie around the neck, worn by Cossacks and in the Caucasus.