kumiss

Where does the word "kumiss" come from? It comes from Kipchak Turkic qımız, passing through Russian before entering English (1600s).

Kumiss’s story begins in Kipchak Turkic: qımız meant “fermented mare's milk.” The staple drink of steppe nomads; the friar William of Rubruck described it at the Mongol court in 1254. By 1600s-1800s, the word had taken hold in Russian as kumys. Russian doctors prescribed 'kumys cures' on the steppe for tuberculosis; Leo Tolstoy took one in the Samara steppe in 1862. It reached English by 1600s as kumiss. English followed the Russian form, since most Western travellers met the drink in Russian-ruled lands. Today, kumiss means fermented mare's milk, the traditional drink of Central Asian nomads.

1. Stage 1 · Kipchak Turkic · medieval qımız "fermented mare's milk", the staple drink of steppe nomads; the friar William of Rubruck described it at the Mongol court in 1254.
2. Stage 2 · Russian · 1600s-1800s kumys "fermented mare's milk", Russian doctors prescribed 'kumys cures' on the steppe for tuberculosis; Leo Tolstoy took one in the Samara steppe in 1862.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1600s kumiss "fermented mare's milk", English followed the Russian form, since most Western travellers met the drink in Russian-ruled lands.