EtymologyMap
Back to all words

Trace the journey of words

Today it means

dolmus

a shared minibus or taxi in Turkey that leaves when it is full

Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate

Where does the word "dolmus" come from? It comes from Turkish dolmuş, and was adopted directly into English (1960s).

Read the full story

Where does the word "dolmus" come from? It comes from Turkish dolmuş, and was adopted directly into English (1960s).

Dolmus’s story begins in Turkish: dolmuş meant “filled.” 'filled', because it sets off only when every seat is taken. It reached English by 1960s as dolmus. Introduced to English readers by travel guides to Turkey. Today, dolmus means a shared minibus or taxi in Turkey that leaves when it is full.

  1. Stage 1 · Turkish · 1930s dolmuş "filled", 'filled', because it sets off only when every seat is taken.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1960s dolmus "Turkish shared taxi", introduced to English readers by travel guides to Turkey.

Browse by origin