𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃

Old Turkic

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Turkic *teŋri (“sky, heaven, god”). Cognate with Old Uyghur 𐾀𐽺𐽷𐽾𐽶 (tnkry), Karakhanid تَنْكْرٖى (teŋrī), Yakut таҥара (tañara) Turkish tanrı.

Proper noun

𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃 (Teŋri)

1. Tengri, the chief deity of Turkic mythology.

Noun

𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃 (teŋri)

1. god
   • 9th century CE, Irk Bitig, Omen 2

     𐰀𐰞𐰀:𐱃𐰞𐰍:𐰖𐰆𐰞:𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃:𐰢𐰤

     āla:atlïɣ:yol:teŋri:men

     I am the road god with a dappled horse.

2. sky

   Synonym: 𐰚𐰇𐰚 (kök)

   • 9th century CE, Irk Bitig, Omen 52

     𐰼:𐰉𐰆𐰽𐰆𐰽𐰞𐰆𐰍:𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃:𐰉𐰆𐰞𐰃𐱃𐰞𐰍

     er:busušluɣ:teŋri:bulïtlïɣ

     The man became depressed (and) the sky cloudy.

3. (shamanism) heaven
   • 9th century CE, Irk Bitig, Omen 54

     𐰴𐰆𐰞:𐰽𐰉𐰃:𐰋𐰏𐰃𐰭𐰼𐰇:𐰇𐱅𐰇𐰤𐰇𐰼:𐰴𐰆𐰔𐰍𐰆𐰣:𐰽𐰉𐰃:𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃𐰏𐰼𐰇:𐰖𐰞𐰉𐰺𐰆𐰺

     qul:sabï:begiŋerü:ötünür:quzɣun:sabï:teŋrigerü:yalbarur

     The slave's words are a request to his master; the ravens words are a prayer to heaven.

Derived terms

• 𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃𐰠𐰃𐰏 (teŋrilig, “devout, religious”)
• 𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃𐰚𐰤 (teŋriken, “heaven-like”)

References

• Tekin, Talât (1968) “täŋri”, in A Grammar of Orkhon Turkic (Uralic and Altaic Series; 69), Bloomington: Indiana University, →ISBN, page 393
• Tekin, Talât (1993) “t(ä)ŋri”, in Irk Bitig: The Book of Omens, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, →ISBN, page 67
• Abuseitova, M. Kh, Bukhatuly, B., editors (2008), “𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃”, in TÜRIK BITIG: Ethno Cultural Dictionary, Language Committee of Ministry of Culture and Information of Republic of Kazakhstan
• Clauson, Gerard (1972) “teŋri:”, in An Etymological Dictionary of pre-thirteenth-century Turkish, Oxford: Clarendon Press, pages 523-524
• Starostin, Sergei, Dybo, Anna, Mudrak, Oleg (2003) “*teŋri / *taŋrɨ”, in Etymological dictionary of the Altaic languages (Handbuch der Orientalistik; VIII.8)‎, Leiden, New York, Köln: E.J. Brill