Origin and history of Turk

c. 1300, "person of the dominant race of the Ottoman empire," from French Turc, from Medieval Latin Turcus, from Byzantine Greek Tourkos, Persian Turk, a national name of unknown origin. In Europe traditionally from a mythical son of Japhet. Said to mean "strength" in Turkish. OED (1989) compares Chinese tu-kin, as the ancient name of a people living south of the Altai Mountains (identified by some with the Huns). In Persian, turk, in addition to the national name, also could mean "a beautiful youth," "a barbarian," "a robber," but these are not considered the origin of the name.

In English, the Ottoman sultan was the Grand Turk (late 15c.), and the Turk was used collectively for "the Turkish people" or "Ottoman power" (late 15c.). From 14c. and especially 16c.-18c. Turk was used indiscriminately of Muslim inhabitants of Asia Minor, reflecting the empire's status in the Western mind as the Muslim nation par excellence. Hence Turkery (1580s), Turkism (1590s) for "Islam." To turn Turk was originally "convert to Islam," then generally, "undergo a complete change for the worse" (c. 1600).

When a man begins to sink in India. and is not sent Home by his friends as soon as may be, he falls very low from a respectable point of view. By the time that he changes his creed, as did McIntosh, he is past redemption. [Kipling, "To Be Filed for Reference," 1899]

Middle English Turkeis (plural), from Old French adjective turcois, also was applied historically to the nomadic tribes of the Middle East in the wars of the Romans and Persians.

The U.S. slang meaning "person of Irish descent" is attested by 1914, apparently originating among Irish-Americans, but the origin is obscure (Irish torc "boar, hog" has been suggested). A Young Turk (1908) was a member of a political group in the Ottoman Empire that sought rejuvenation of the Turkish nation.