Taklamakan

English dictionary entry

Meanings

name
  1. A cold desert in the Xinjiang autonomous region, China, the largest desert entirely contained in China.

Pronunciation

täklämäkänʹ

Word forms

Taklamakan Takla Makan Taklimakan Takela Magan T'a-k'o-la-ma-kan

Etymology

Most researchers agree that the second part is derived from Persian مکان (makân, “place”), from Arabic مَكَان (makān). The etymology of Takla is less clear, however. Being first attested in Chagatai as ترک مکان (trk mkān /⁠tark-i makān⁠/), likely from ترک (trk /⁠tark⁠/, “abandonment”) + مکان (mkān /⁠makān⁠/, “place”).

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