saxaul

Where does the word "saxaul" come from? It comes from Kazakh seksewil, passing through Russian before entering English (1880s).

Saxaul’s story begins in Kazakh: seksewil meant “desert tree.” The leafless tree that stabilizes sand in the Kyzylkum and Karakum deserts. By 1800s, the word had taken hold in Russian as saksaul. Russian botanists and travellers in Turkestan adopted the local name. It reached English by 1880s as saxaul. Taken into English botanical writing; saxaul forests are now planted on the dried bed of the Aral Sea. Today, saxaul means a small desert tree of Central Asia with very hard wood.

1. Stage 1 · Kazakh · medieval seksewil "desert tree", the leafless tree that stabilizes sand in the Kyzylkum and Karakum deserts.
2. Stage 2 · Russian · 1800s saksaul "desert tree", Russian botanists and travellers in Turkestan adopted the local name.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1880s saxaul "Central Asian desert tree", taken into English botanical writing; saxaul forests are now planted on the dried bed of the Aral Sea.