Etymology Map
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Doner

3 stages from Ottoman Turkish to English.

Today it means meat cooked on a vertical rotating spit, sliced and served in bread or a wrap

Where does the word "doner" come from? It comes from Ottoman Turkish döner kebap, passing through German before entering English (1970s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
döner kebap
Ottoman Turkish · 1800s
"rotating-spit roast meat"
'turning kebab', roasted on a vertical spit, a method credited to İskender Efendi of Bursa in the 1860s
2
Stage 2 of 3
Döner
German · 1970s
"doner sandwich"
Turkish immigrants in West Berlin began selling it stuffed in bread in the early 1970s, creating Germany's favourite fast food
3
Stage 3 of 3
doner
English · 1970s
"doner kebab"
spread through takeaways run by Turkish and Turkish Cypriot families in Britain
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Read the full story

Doner’s story begins in Ottoman Turkish: döner kebap meant “rotating-spit roast meat.” 'turning kebab', roasted on a vertical spit, a method credited to İskender Efendi of Bursa in the 1860s. By 1970s, the word had taken hold in German as Döner. Turkish immigrants in West Berlin began selling it stuffed in bread in the early 1970s, creating Germany's favourite fast food. It reached English by 1970s as doner. Spread through takeaways run by Turkish and Turkish Cypriot families in Britain. Today, doner means meat cooked on a vertical rotating spit, sliced and served in bread or a wrap.