Khitan

• Kitai, Khitai
• Kitan, K'itan

Borrowed from Khitan 𘱿𘲫 (*qid ún) or 𘱿𘱤 (*qid i)^[1] under influence from Chinese 契丹 (Qìdān), and Mongolian Кидан (Kidan).

Doublet of Cathay. Cognate with Russian Кита́й (Kitáj, “China”) and the various forms of Cathay (“legendary northern medieval China”) in European languages.

Khitan (plural Khitans or Khitan) (historical)

1. A member of the Mongolic people who ruled Manchuria, then northern China as the Liao, then Central Asia as the Qara Khitais, from the 9th to 13th century C.E.

   Synonym: (plural) Liao

• Note: Some of these translations may be for the plural.

Khitan (not comparable)

1. (historical) Of or pertaining to the Khitan people, language or scripts.

   Synonyms: Khitanian, Khitanic

   Near-synonym: (archaic) Cathayan

Khitan (historical)

1. The extinct Mongolic language spoken by the Khitan people.

   Synonyms: Khitanian, Khitanic

2. The Khitan Empire; the state or land of the Khitan people.

   Synonym: Liao

   Near-synonym: (archaic) Cathay

Khitan m (plural Khitans, feminine Khitane)

1. Khitan (person)