Kurdish Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

Kurdish

noun

Kurd·​ish ˈku̇r-dish How to pronounce Kurdish (audio) ˈkər- How to pronounce Kurdish (audio)
: the Iranian language of the Kurds

Examples of Kurdish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In the run-up to the Kurdish referendum, the head of Iran’s Quds Force, Qasem Soleimani, met with Masoud Barzani, Mustafa Barzani’s son, president of the Kurdish Region, and architect of the referendum, even as Iranian forces were increasing pressure on the Kurds. Ariane M. Tabatabai, Foreign Affairs, 26 Sep. 2017 The New Welfare party and the Kurdish Free Cause party, both allied with the AKP, won only eight seats between them, but they are expected to push hard for their key demands, and could galvanize the government into action. Fariba Nawa, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 May 2023 The Turkish president claimed the Nordic countries were soft on terrorism, especially toward Kurdish exiles and refugees affiliated with the Kurdish Workers’ Party, considered a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union. Steven Erlanger, New York Times, 29 May 2023 The Kurdish Question: A Central Factor Shaping Turkey's International Relations The Principle Contradiction: The Kurdish question looms large in Turkish foreign policy as the most pressing domestic and foreign policy concern. Guney Yildiz, Forbes, 5 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Kurdish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1813, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Kurdish was in 1813

Dictionary Entries Near Kurdish

Cite this Entry

“Kurdish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Kurdish. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.

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