Etymology Map
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Sanjak

3 stages from Old Turkic to English.

Today it means an administrative district of the Ottoman Empire

Where does the word "sanjak" come from? It comes from Old Turkic sanjaq, passing through Ottoman Turkish before entering English (1500s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
sanjaq
Old Turkic · medieval
"banner"
carried as the sign of a military unit, as in other steppe armies
2
Stage 2 of 3
sancak
Ottoman Turkish · 1400s
"military district"
provinces were divided into sanjaks, each under a 'sanjak-bey' who held the sultan's banner
3
Stage 3 of 3
sanjak
English · 1500s
"an Ottoman district"
the Sandžak region between Serbia and Montenegro still bears the name of the Sanjak of Novi Pazar, Ottoman until 1912
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Read the full story

Sanjak’s story begins in Old Turkic: sanjaq meant “banner.” Carried as the sign of a military unit, as in other steppe armies. By 1400s, the word had taken hold in Ottoman Turkish as sancak. Provinces were divided into sanjaks, each under a 'sanjak-bey' who held the sultan's banner. It reached English by 1500s as sanjak. The Sandžak region between Serbia and Montenegro still bears the name of the Sanjak of Novi Pazar, Ottoman until 1912. Today, sanjak means an administrative district of the Ottoman Empire.