djigit

Where does the word "djigit" come from? It comes from Turkic yigit, passing through Russian before entering English (1800s).

Djigit’s story begins in Turkic: yigit meant “young brave.” A brave young man; Turkish still calls a bold youth 'yiğit'. By 1800s, the word had taken hold in Russian as dzhigit. Cossacks adopted the Circassian trick-riding 'dzhigitovka', standing, hanging and vaulting at full gallop. It reached English by 1800s as djigit. Used for Cossack and Caucasian trick riders, who toured Western circuses and Wild West shows around 1900. Today, djigit means a skilled and daring horseman of the Caucasus or Central Asia.

1. Stage 1 · Turkic · medieval yigit "young brave", a brave young man; Turkish still calls a bold youth 'yiğit'.
2. Stage 2 · Russian · 1800s dzhigit "trick rider", Cossacks adopted the Circassian trick-riding 'dzhigitovka', standing, hanging and vaulting at full gallop.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1800s djigit "trick rider", used for Cossack and Caucasian trick riders, who toured Western circuses and Wild West shows around 1900.