Pathan

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindustani پٹھان / पठान (paṭhān). Doublet of Pashtun.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pəˈtɑːn/

Noun

Pathan (plural Pathans)

1. (British India, South Asia) Synonym of Pashtun; a member of the Pashto-speaking people of today’s north-west Pakistan and south-east Afghanistan.
   • 1855, Sir Richard Burton, Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah and Meccah, Dover, published 1964, pages 44–5:

     After long deliberation about the choice of nations, I became a “Pathán.”

Further reading

• “Pathan”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “Pathan”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “Pathan” in TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2025.
• “Pathan”, in Collins English Dictionary.