Etymology Map
Back to all words

Kurgan

3 stages from Turkic to English.

Today it means a prehistoric burial mound of the Eurasian steppe

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

1
Stage 1 of 3
qorğan
Turkic · medieval
"fortification, mound"
a fortress or earthwork; the Siberian city of Kurgan is named after a large mound nearby
2
Stage 2 of 3
kurgan
Russian · 1500s-1800s
"burial mound"
used for the thousands of ancient burial mounds scattered across the Ukrainian and Russian steppe
3
Stage 3 of 3
kurgan
English · 1800s
"a steppe burial mound"
Marija Gimbutas's 1956 'Kurgan hypothesis' placed the early Indo-Europeans among the mound-builders of the Pontic steppe
Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Read the full story

Kurgan’s story begins in Turkic: qorğan meant “fortification, mound.” A fortress or earthwork; the Siberian city of Kurgan is named after a large mound nearby. By 1500s-1800s, the word had taken hold in Russian as kurgan. Used for the thousands of ancient burial mounds scattered across the Ukrainian and Russian steppe. It reached English by 1800s as kurgan. Marija Gimbutas's 1956 'Kurgan hypothesis' placed the early Indo-Europeans among the mound-builders of the Pontic steppe. Today, kurgan means a prehistoric burial mound of the Eurasian steppe.