Etymology
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Mongolian

1738 (adj.) "pertaining to Mongols;" 1839 (n.) "the language of the Mongols," 1846 "a native of Mongolia;" from Mongol + -ian. As a racial classification for Asiatic peoples (including Chinese, Japanese, Turks, Vietnamese, Lapps, Eskimos, etc.) "belonging to the yellow-skinned straight-haired type of mankind" [OED] in J.F. Blumenbach's system, it is attested in English by 1825 in translations of his works.

Entries linking to Mongolian

Mongol 

1738 (n.) "one of a people of Mongolia and adjacent regions;" 1763 (adj.), from a native name, said to be from mong "brave." Related: Mongolia.

-ian 

variant of suffix -an (q.v.), with connective -i-. From Latin -ianus, in which the -i- originally was from the stem of the word being attached but later came to be felt as connective. In Middle English frequently it was -ien, via French.

Mongoloid 

1868, adj. and noun, as a racial designation, literally "resembling the Mongols," from Mongol + -oid. Compare Mongolian. In reference to the genetic defect causing mental retardation (mongolism), by 1899, from the typical facial appearance of those who have it. See Down's Syndrome. Such people were called Mongolian from 1866. 

updated on August 16, 2019

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Dictionary entries near Mongolian

money-order

money-pit

mong

monger

Mongol

Mongolian

Mongoloid

mongoose

mongrel

mongrelize

monicker

© 2001-2023 Douglas Harper