Etymograph

English

khan

Khan comes from Middle English can, and goes back to Medieval Latin chanis.

  1. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500chanis1
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400chan1
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500can1
  4. Englishtodaykhan1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English khan

Lineage

  1. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500chanisWiktionary, English khan
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400chanWiktionary, English khan
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500canWiktionary, English khan
  4. EnglishtodaykhanWiktionary, English khan

The story

Via late Middle English can, chan from Old French chan, from Medieval Latin chanis, from Turkic *qan, contraction of *qaɣan.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Middle English can

can, canna

Another origin of khan

  1. Persianc. 900–presentخانxân‘caravanserai’
  2. Arabicc. 500–presentخَانḵān‘inn, caravanserai, hotel’
  3. Englishtodaykhan

Today it means

noun A ruler over various Turkic and Mongol peoples in the Middle Ages.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “khan”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Medieval Latin chanis / khan

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