Six English Words Borrowed from Turkish

1- KIOSK

You see them in open spaces at malls all across the US. You might’ve bought a phone case or t-shirt from them. And you might’ve even noticed the products sold at them change quite often.

Or perhaps you bought a newspaper from one of them in the UK.

But have ever wondered where the word “kiosk” actually comes from?

Word History

‘Kiosk’ comes from the Turkish word köşk, which originally referred to a kind of open pavilion or summerhouse in Türkiye and Persia, often built on a hexagonal or many-sided base. The upper classes of the Ottoman Empire would enjoy entertainments and view their gardens in the comfort of such buildings. When the word first began to appear in English, ‘kiosk’ referred to these Middle Eastern pavilions, which Europeans imitated in their own gardens and parks. In France and Belgium, the word kiosque was applied to something lower on the scale, structures resembling these pavilions but used as places to sell newspapers or as bandstands. When such lowly structures began to be built in England for these purposes, the word ‘kiosk’ was reborrowed from French in the middle of the 1800s with the meaning ‘a place where newspapers are sold.’ (https://www.thefreedictionary.com/kiosk)

While köşk in the Ottoman Empire intially referred to pavilions, such as IV. Mehmet Av Köşkü in Edirne…

…or summerhouses, such as Atatürk Köşkü in Trabzon,…

…the word köşk in Turkish evolved to mean ‘mansion,’ such as Yeşil Köşk, currently used as a place where both students and faculty members can gather and hang out at Ege University in İzmir.

2- MARBLE

With extensive quarries and a diverse range of marble types, including travertine, and a global market share of approximately 42%, Türkiye is the world’s largest exporter of marble. So it’s no coincidence that the word ‘marble’ in English comes from Türkiye.

But where exactly does it come from? Via Old French from Latin marmor, from Greek marmaros, related to Greek marmairein to gleam (https://www.thefreedictionary.com/marble)

And what’s that got to do with Türkiye?

Well, the name of the Sea of Marmara derives from marmaros.

Notice how currents create marble-like patterns in the Sea of Marmara:

But didn’t marmairein mean ‘to gleam’? Yes, and every so often, plankton in the Sea of Marmara, organisms carried by tides and currents, causes a natural phenomenon called bioluminescence—a flash of light or glow—hence the term marmairein, meaning ‘to gleam,’ which resembles patterns also seen in marble.

3- PASTRAMI

Sounds Italian, right? Might even be marketed as such:

But hold your horses:

Word History

Yiddish pastrame, from Romanian pastramă, from Ottoman Turkish başdirma, salted and seasoned air-dried beef, equivalent to Modern Turkish pastırma, bastırma, from verbal noun of bastırmak, to press down, hold down, causative of basmak, to weigh upon, press (in reference to the pressing of the meat while curing it), from Old Turkic basmaq. (https://www.thefreedictionary.com/pastrami)

And speaking of holding your horses:

The Huns carried raw meat under their saddles while traveling on horseback for long periods of time and just pulled this meat out from under their saddles to eat it while still on the move. According to M. Ammianus, this was a common practice in Turkic societies and is related to how eating raw meat processed with salt and spices, called basturma, all started. By cooking the meat with the heat and sweat of the horse, it became edible.

4- SIREN

It’s never really good news when you hear sirens, right? Well, believe it or not, the sound of sirens signaling trouble dates back to at least the 8th century BCE.

In Greek mythology, sea creatures known as ‘sirens,’ living on rocks, fascinated male sailors passing by and lured them with the songs they sang. Those who heard their voices couldn’t leave until the end of their lives. Seduced by sirens, some captains would steer their ships toward the rocks, and their ships would hit the rocks and sink.

The Siren Rocks, mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey, are located in the modern-day district of Foça in İzmir, Türkiye. By the way, İzmir is believed to be Homer’s birthplace.

Natural rock formations combined with strong winds create an unusual sound.

Captain thinks Ariel from The Little Mermaid is calling him.

Not the best place to sail.

Game over.

5- YOGURT (YOGHURT)

This one’s pretty straighforward, actually. The English word ‘yogurt’ directly comes from the Turkish word yoğurt, which derives from Old Turkic yoğrut. (https://www.thefreedictionary.com/yoghurt)

6- TURQUOISE

The Turkish national team first introduced turquoise-colored uniforms in 2007.

And then the Turkish Exporters Assembly launched a nation branding campaign with a turquoise-colored logo.

Somewhere along the way, red carpets in the Turkish parliament were replaced with turquoise-colored ones.

And even the parliamentary guards’ uniforms became turquoise. All of these changes led to debates—and even some backlash. Was Türkiye really adding a new national color to her already existing red and white? Let’s take a closer look…

First of all, ‘turquoise’ means:

A blue to blue-green mineral of aluminum and copper, prized as a gemstone in its polished blue form.
A light to brilliant bluish green.
- The word ‘turquoise’ in English derives from Middle English turkeis and French turquoise, both from Old French turqueise, Turkish (stone), turquoise, feminine of turqueis, Turkish, from Turc, Turk. (https://www.thefreedictionary.com/turquoise)

Turquoise is a light blue color tinged with green and is also known as ‘Turkish blue.’ This color takes its name from the turquoise mineral mined in the Greater Khorasan region on the border of Iran and Afghanistan (part of historical Turkic homelands).

Furthermore, shades of turquoise were used in the Göktürk Empire’s flag. This empire was the very first nation in history to include ‘Türk’ in its name (along with gök, which means ‘sky’) and its flag is considered a symbol of Turkishness.

And to this day, turquoise and shades of turquoise are widely used by Turkic nations and are therefore preferred by Turkish government institutions. In fact, Atatürk also embraced this historical symbolism, and there were some discussions on whether to adapt a variation of the Göktürk flag during the foundation of the Republic of Türkiye.

And finally, the world-renowned Turkish Riviera, also popularly known as the Turquoise Coast (or, as I like to call it, ‘Heaven on Earth’), is an area of southwestern Türkiye where you’ll find every single shade of turquoise imaginable—and then some…