*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Altay

Transliteration of Kazakh التاي (Altay) and Uyghur ئالتاي (altay), from Mongolic, from Old Turkic 𐰞𐱃𐰆𐰣:𐰖𐰃𐱁 (l¹t¹wn¹:y¹iš /⁠altun yïš⁠/, literally “Golden Mountain”).

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In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
name

Alternative form of Altai. · A prefecture in northern Xinjiang autonomous region, China. · A county-level city of Altay prefecture, in far northern Xinjiang autonomous region, China.

noun

Alternative form of Altai.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Transliteration of Kazakh التاي (Altay) and Uyghur ئالتاي (altay), from Mongolic, from Old Turkic 𐰞𐱃𐰆𐰣:𐰖𐰃𐱁 (l¹t¹wn¹:y¹iš /⁠altun yïš⁠/, literally “Golden Mountain”).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "translit",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "kk",
        "3": "التاي",
        "tr": "Altay"
      },
      "expansion": "Transliteration of Kazakh التاي (Altay)"
    },
    {
      "name": "translit",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ug",
        "3": "ئالتاي",
        "tr": "Altay",
        "notext": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Uyghur ئالتاي (altay)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xgn"
      },
      "expansion": "Mongolic"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "otk",
        "3": "𐰞𐱃𐰆𐰣:𐰖𐰃𐱁",
        "ts": "altun yïš",
        "lit": "Golden Mountain"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Turkic 𐰞𐱃𐰆𐰣:𐰖𐰃𐱁 (l¹t¹wn¹:y¹iš /⁠altun yïš⁠/, literally “Golden Mountain”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "التاي",
      "التاي#Kazakh"
    ],
    [
      "ئالتاي",
      "ئالتاي#Uyghur"
    ],
    [
      "𐰞𐱃𐰆𐰣:𐰖𐰃𐱁",
      "𐰞𐱃𐰆𐰣:𐰖𐰃𐱁#Old_Turkic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of Altai.",
        "A prefecture in northern Xinjiang autonomous region, China.",
        "A county-level city of Altay prefecture, in far northern Xinjiang autonomous region, China."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ],
      "recordId": "cacfcbb36444244172c4f9835b3316246939f6aa28ffb577d4911a2db3de7746",
      "rawRecordSha256": "38130a1132b211a36b6cccdeefb86f3930a056bc99ab6d80795dc66bbfd70993",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 2518036
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of Altai."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "plural",
        "plural-only"
      ],
      "recordId": "d2200bcf04fb22245f7fc13e195b3323e0777f1da75198ae22873af6dc69df33",
      "rawRecordSha256": "93faf67eb58723bda985a624b1e46f638a8bf519c3a70c405a03af2d2be7efa1",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 2518037
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Altay →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-QWx0YXk