Etymology Map
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Uhlan

4 stages from Tatar to English.

Today it means a lancer in the Polish, and later German and Austrian, cavalry

Where does the word "uhlan" come from? It comes from Tatar oğlan, passing through Polish and German before entering English (1750s).

1
Stage 1 of 4
oğlan
Tatar · medieval
"boy, youth"
in Turkic households and armies it also named a young page or soldier
2
Stage 2 of 4
ułan
Polish · 1700s
"lancer"
Tatar light horsemen serving the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth gave their name to its lancer regiments
3
Stage 3 of 4
Uhlan
German · 1700s
"lancer"
Prussia and Austria formed uhlan regiments on the Polish model
4
Stage 4 of 4
uhlan
English · 1750s
"a German or Polish lancer"
the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 made German uhlans notorious in British newspapers
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Read the full story

Uhlan’s story begins in Tatar: oğlan meant “boy, youth.” In Turkic households and armies it also named a young page or soldier. By 1700s, the word had taken hold in Polish as ułan. Tatar light horsemen serving the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth gave their name to its lancer regiments. From there it passed into German as Uhlan by 1700s. Prussia and Austria formed uhlan regiments on the Polish model. It reached English by 1750s as uhlan. The Franco-Prussian War of 1870 made German uhlans notorious in British newspapers. Today, uhlan means a lancer in the Polish, and later German and Austrian, cavalry.