Borjigin
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Mongolian ᠪᠣᠷᠵᠢᠭᠢᠨ (borǰigin). According to Rashid al-Din Hamadani, in his Jāmi‘ al-Tawārīkh, and later Abu al-Ghazi Bahadur, in his Genealogy of the Turks, this name meant 'having eyes of the color اشهل (ašhal) ~ شهلا (šahlā)', i.e. 'dark blue eyes',[1][2] which Genghis Khan and his brothers reputedly all had.
However, according to Igor de Rachewiltz, "The etymology of the name Borjigin is uncertain. The unreliable interpretation given by Rašīd (borjigin = 'man with dark blue eyes') accounts, through a further misunderstanding, also for the imaginary grey (pmo., mo. boro), or cat's eyes of Činggis Qan, regularly ascribed to the conqueror by modern authors."[1]
Pronunciation
[edit]Proper noun
[edit]Borjigin
- The clan which Genghis Khan was a member of