-stan

See also: stan, Stan, śtan, stán, ştan, stan', and -стан

English

Alternative forms

• -istan, -estan

Etymology

From Persian ـستان (-estān), from Middle Persian -stʾn' (-estān), from Old Persian 𐎿𐎫𐎠𐎴 (s-t-a-n /⁠stāna⁠/), from Proto-Iranian *stáHnam, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *stʰáHnam, from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand”).

Compare Avestan 𐬯𐬙𐬁𐬥𐬀 (stāna), Sanskrit स्थान (sthā́na), Russian стан (stan) (< Proto-Slavic *stanъ), English stay, stand, state.

Suffix

-stan

1. Used in the names of regions in the Middle East and Central Asia which were historically influenced by Persian and Turkic cultures.
2. (often humorous) Used to form fictitious or metaphoric country names, often with a connotation of it being an exotic or hostile country.

   ‎absurd + ‎-i- + ‎-stan → ‎Absurdistan

   ‎nerd + ‎-i- + ‎-stan → ‎nerdistan

3. (derogatory, ethnic slur) Used after European and American place names to emphasize that there are many Middle Easterners or Muslims there.

   ‎London + ‎-i- + ‎-stan → ‎Londonistan

   ‎Dearborn + ‎-i- + ‎-stan → ‎Dearbornistan

   ‎Catalan + ‎-i- + ‎-stan → ‎Catalanistan

   ‎Sweden + ‎-i- + ‎-stan → ‎Swedistan

Usage notes

Corresponding demonym usually formed by suffixing -i, yielding -stani. When the root is an ethnicity, the -stani form refers to the nationality, not ethnicity. Compare Tajik (“member of Tajik ethnic group”) and Tajikistani (“inhabitant of nation of Tajikistan”).

Derived terms

English terms suffixed with -stan

Related terms

• Afghanistan
• Baluchistan, Balochistan
• Bashkortostan
• Dagestan
• Hindustan
• Karakalpakstan
• Kazakhstan
• Khalistan
• Kurdistan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Pakistan
• Rajasthan
• Tajikistan
• Tatarstan
• Turkestan
• Turkmenistan
• Uzbekistan

 

Translations

used in actual place names

• Arabic: ـسْتَان (-stān)
• Armenian: -ստան (-stan)
• Assamese: স্থান (sthan)
• Azerbaijani: -istan, -stan
• Bashkir: -стан (-stan)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: -斯坦 (-sītǎn)

• Czech: -stán m, -istán m
• Esperanto: -ujo (eo), -io (eo)
• Finnish: -stan
• German: -land (de) n
• Hebrew: -סטן f (-stan), -סתאן f (-stan), -סטאן f (-stan)
• Hindi: -स्तान m (-stān) (connected with diacritic -i- after consonants), स्तान (stān), इस्तान (istān), स्थान (hi) (sthān)
• Kazakh: -стан (-stan)
• Khmer: ស្ថាន (km) (sthaan)
• Kyrgyz: -стан (-stan)
• Lithuanian: -stanas m
• Middle Persian: -stʾn' (-estān)
• Persian: ـستان (fa) (-(e)stân)
• Portuguese: -istão
• Russian: -иста́н m (-istán), -ста́н (ru) m (-stán)
• Swedish: -stan (sv)
• Tajik: -истон (-iston), -стон (-ston)
• Tatar: -стан (-stan)
• Thai: สถาน (th) (sà-tǎan)
• Turkish: -istan (tr), -stan
• Turkmen: -istan, -stan
• Ukrainian: -стан m (-stan)
• Urdu: ـستان m (-(i)stān)
• Uzbek: -iston, -ston

Anagrams

• ASNT, NTAs, Nast, Nats, Sant, Tans, Tsan, ants, nats, tans

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Northern Kurdish

Suffix

-stan

1. Alternative form of -istan