Etymology Map
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Kalpak

3 stages from Turkic to English.

Today it means a tall felt or fur cap worn in Turkey and Central Asia

Where does the word "kalpak" come from? It comes from Turkic qalpaq, passing through Ottoman Turkish before entering English (1810s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
qalpaq
Turkic · medieval
"cap"
a tall cap of the steppe peoples; the Karakalpaks, 'black hats', are named after it
2
Stage 2 of 3
kalpak
Ottoman Turkish · 1800s
"fur cap"
the fur kalpak worn by Mustafa Kemal and his fighters in 1919–22 became a symbol of the Turkish War of Independence
3
Stage 3 of 3
calpac
English · 1810s
"a Turkish or Tatar cap"
spelled 'calpac' by early 19th-century travellers in the Levant and the Caucasus
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Read the full story

Kalpak’s story begins in Turkic: qalpaq meant “cap.” A tall cap of the steppe peoples; the Karakalpaks, 'black hats', are named after it. By 1800s, the word had taken hold in Ottoman Turkish as kalpak. The fur kalpak worn by Mustafa Kemal and his fighters in 1919–22 became a symbol of the Turkish War of Independence. It reached English by 1810s as calpac. Spelled 'calpac' by early 19th-century travellers in the Levant and the Caucasus. Today, kalpak means a tall felt or fur cap worn in Turkey and Central Asia.