barchan
English
WOTD – 13 September 2025
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from Russian барха́н (barxán),[1] from a Turkic language[2] such as Kazakh барқан (barqan);[3] further etymology unknown. The Russian word was first used in scientific literature in 1881 by the Russian zoologist and explorer Alexander von Middendorf (1815–1894).[4]
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈbɑːk(ə)n/, /bɑːˈkɑːn/
Audio (Southern England); /ˈbɑːk(ə)n/: (file) Audio (Southern England); /bɑːˈkɑːn/: (file) - (General American) IPA(key): /ˈbɑɹˌkɑn/, /bɑɹˈkɑn/
Audio (General American); /bɑɹˈkɑn/: (file) - Rhymes: (one RP) -ɑːkən, -ɑːn
- Hyphenation: bar‧chan
Noun
barchan (plural barchans)
- (geology, also attributive) An arc-shaped shifting sand dune comprising well-sorted (uniformly sized) sand.
- 1966, E[dwin] S[herbon] Hills, C[liff] D. Ollier, C[harles] R[owland] Twidale, “Geomorphology”, in E. S. Hills, editor, Arid Lands: A Geographical Appraisal (Routledge Revivals), New York, N.Y.: Routledge, published 2024, →ISBN, page 72:
- The sand is usually very well sorted in barchans, for it is constantly re-worked as the dune 'marches'. The marching also causes cross-bedding inside the barchan, with a dip parallel to the sand-fall face.
- 1988, Robert Irwin, chapter 8, in The Mysteries of Algiers, London: Viking, →ISBN, page 69:
- But to follow the dunes around the foot of their slopes is also tedious and one can walk for half a kilometre east or west, finding one barchan linked to another and no easy way through, and the unverifiable suspicion grows that one has been driven by insensible curves actually southwards.
- 2006, Thomas Pynchon, “Against the Day”, in Against the Day, New York, N.Y.: Penguin Press, →ISBN, page 752:
- The structure out here was revealed immediately—desert punctuated by oases in a geography of cruelty, barkhans or traveling sand-dunes a hundred feet high, which might or might not possess consciousness, […]
- 2008, Julie Laity, “Aeolian Processes”, in Deserts and Desert Environments, Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, →ISBN, page 205, column 2:
- Barchans and transverse dunes are essentially of the same type, forming and migrating under a unidirectional wind regime. The difference between the two is related to the amount of sand: barchans are isolated mounds, whereas transverse dunes are composed of many barchans coalesced into a single, longer dune form […].
- 2010, Robert S[tewart] Anderson, Suzanne P[restrud] Anderson, “Eolian Forms and Deposits”, in Geomorphology: The Mechanics and Chemistry of Landscapes, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire; New York, N.Y.: Cambridge University Press, published 2011, →ISBN, page 482, column 1:
- Perhaps the most distinctive is the barchan dune, an isolated crescentic form with arms that stretch downwind. Barchans are not huge, often with heights of only a few meters.
Alternative forms
Derived terms
- barchanoid
- megabarchan
Translations
arc-shaped shifting sand dune
|
References
- ^ “barchan, n.”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
- ^ “barchan, n.”, in OED Online , Oxford: Oxford University Press, December 2024; “barchan, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
- ^ “barchan, n.”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
- ^ “Barchan: sand dune”, in Encyclopædia Britannica[1], 8 November 2016 (last accessed), archived from the original on 8 November 2016: “The Russian naturalist Alexander von Middendorf is credited with introducing the word into scientific literature in 1881.”
Further reading
Old Czech
Alternative forms
Etymology
Borrowed from Old High German barchant, from Medieval Latin barchanus, from Old French barracan.
Pronunciation
Noun
barchan m inan
Declension
Declension of barchan (hard o-stem)
| singular | dual | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | , | ||
| genitive | , | ||
| dative | |||
| accusative | |||
| vocative | , | ||
| locative | , | ||
| instrumental |
Descendants
- Old Polish: barchan
References
- Jan Gebauer (1903–1916), “barchan”, in Slovník staročeský (in Czech), Prague: Česká grafická společnost "unie", Česká akademie císaře Františka Josefa pro vědy, slovesnost a umění
Old Polish
Etymology
Borrowed from Old Czech barchan.[1][2][3] First attested in 1370.
Pronunciation
Noun
barchan m inan
- (attested in Masovia, Lesser Poland, Greater Poland) fustian
- 1950 [1477], Władysław Kuraszkiewicz, Adam Wolff, editors, Zapiski i roty polskie XV-XVI wieku z ksiąg sądowych ziemi warszawskiej, number 3094, Warsaw:
- Jako themv gwalthowi o szvknya y o barchan, o kthore mnye Borzym poszvąl, *røk mynąl, thako my pomozi boog y szwanthi crzyschs
- [Jako temu gwałtowi o suknią i o barchan, o ktore mnie Borzym pozwał, rok minął, tako mi pomoży Bog i święty krzyż]
- 1442, Wokabularz Raczyńskich, Biblioteki Raczyńskich w Poznaniu, sygn. 1360/I, page 136r:
- Lliniscenia vestis lana et ex lino contexsta vlg. barchan
- [Lliniscenia vestis lana et ex lino contexsta vlg. barchan]
- 1450, Piotr z Uścia, Rozariusz kapitulny, Ujście: Archiwum i Biblioteki Krakowskiej Kapituły Katedralnej, sygn. Ms 224, page 145v:
- Liniscenia dicitur vestis ex lino et lana contexta et alio nomine dicitur liniscius proprie barchan
- [Liniscenia dicitur vestis ex lino et lana contexta et alio nomine dicitur liniscius proprie barchan]
- 1463, Wokabularz petersburski VII, Cesarskiej Biblioteki Publicznej w Petersburgu, sygn. Lat.Q.ch.I.100, page 12:
- Linistius barchan
- [Linistius barchan]
- XV p. post., rękopiśmienne ekscerpty - glosy z rozariusza w rękopisie Biblioteki Zakładu Narodowego im. Ossolińskich we Lwowie, obecnie we Wrocławiu, o sygn. 3297, z r. 1476, page 131r:
- Liniscema dicitur uestis ex lino et lana contexta et alio nomine dicitur liniscius proprie *brachan
- [Liniscema dicitur uestis ex lino et lana contexta et alio nomine dicitur liniscius proprie *brachan]
- XV p. post., Rękopiśmienne ekscerpty - glosy z rozariusza w rękopisie Biblioteki Zakładu Narodowego im. Ossolińskich we Lwowie, obecnie we Wrocławiu, o sygn. 1630, page 129v:
- Liniscenia dicitur vestis ex lino et lana contexta Et alio nomine dicitur liniscius proprie barchan
- [Liniscenia dicitur vestis ex lino et lana contexta Et alio nomine dicitur liniscius proprie barchan]
- XV p. post., Wokabularz petersburski II, Cesarskiej Biblioteki Publicznej w Petersburgu, sygn. Lat.F.ch.XVI.12, page 9:
- Liniscenia barchan vel brucfa
- [Liniscenia barchan vel brucfa]
- c. 1500, Wokabularz lubiński, Lubiń: inkunabuł Archiwum Archidiecezjalnego w Gnieźnie, sygn. Inc. 78d., page 23v:
- Cardiunculus barchan
- [Cardiunculus barchan]
Derived terms
Descendants
- Polish: barchan (“fustian”), (Olszytn) barchim, (Warmia) parchim, (Warmia) parchin
- → Kashubian: barchón
- Silesian: barchin
References
- ^ Mirosław Bańko; Lidia Wiśniakowska (2021), “barchan I”, in Wielki słownik wyrazów obcych, →ISBN
- ^ Stanisław Dubisz, editor (2003), “I barchan”, in Uniwersalny słownik języka polskiego [Universal dictionary of the Polish language][2] (in Polish), volumes 1-4, Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN SA, →ISBN
- ^ Bańkowski, Andrzej (2000), “barchan”, in Etymologiczny słownik języka polskiego [Etymological Dictionary of the Polish Language] (in Polish)
- B. Sieradzka-Baziur, Ewa Deptuchowa, Joanna Duska, Mariusz Frodyma, Beata Hejmo, Dorota Janeczko, Katarzyna Jasińska, Krystyna Kajtoch, Joanna Kozioł, Marian Kucała, Dorota Mika, Gabriela Niemiec, Urszula Poprawska, Elżbieta Supranowicz, Ludwika Szelachowska-Winiarzowa, Zofia Wanicowa, Piotr Szpor, Bartłomiej Borek, editors (2011–2015), “barchan”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN
- Ewa Deptuchowa, Mariusz Frodyma, Katarzyna Jasińska, Magdalena Klapper, Dorota Kołodziej, Mariusz Leńczuk, Ludwika Szelachowska-Winiarzowa, Zofia Wanicowa, editors (2023), “barchan”, in Rozariusze z polskimi glosami. Internetowa baza danych [Dictionaries of Polish glosses, an Internet database] (in Polish), Kraków: Pracownia Języka Staropolskiego Instytut Języka Polskiego Polskiej Akademii Nauk
Polish
Etymology 1
Inherited from Old Polish barchan.
Pronunciation
Audio: (file) - Rhymes: -arxan
- Syllabification: bar‧chan
Noun
barchan m inan (related adjective barchanowy)
Declension
Declension of barchan
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | barchan | barchany |
| genitive | barchanu | barchanów |
| dative | barchanowi | barchanom |
| accusative | barchan | barchany |
| instrumental | barchanem | barchanami |
| locative | barchanie | barchanach |
| vocative | barchanie | barchany |
Alternative forms
- (Olszytn) barchim, (Warmia) parchim, (Warmia) parchin
Descendants
- → Kashubian: barchón
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Turkmen [Term?].[1][2][3] First attested in 1925.[3]
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈbar.xan/
Audio: (file) - Rhymes: -arxan
- Syllabification: bar‧chan
Noun
barchan m inan (related adjective barchanowy)
Declension
Declension of barchan
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | barchan | barchany |
| genitive | barchanu | barchanów |
| dative | barchanowi | barchanom |
| accusative | barchan | barchany |
| instrumental | barchanem | barchanami |
| locative | barchanie | barchanach |
| vocative | barchanie | barchany |
References
- ^ Mirosław Bańko; Lidia Wiśniakowska (2021), “barchan II”, in Wielki słownik wyrazów obcych, →ISBN
- ^ Stanisław Dubisz, editor (2003), “II barchan”, in Uniwersalny słownik języka polskiego [Universal dictionary of the Polish language][3] (in Polish), volumes 1-4, Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN SA, →ISBN
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Witold Doroszewski, editor (1958–1969), “barchan II”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), Warszawa: PWN
Further reading
- barchan in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
- barchan in Polish dictionaries at PWN
- Maria Renata Mayenowa; Stanisław Rospond; Witold Taszycki; Stefan Hrabec; Władysław Kuraszkiewicz (2010-2023), “barchan”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish]
- Barbara Rykiel-Kempf (09.10.2018), “BARCHAN”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century]
- Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807–1814), “barchan”, in Słownik języka polskiego
- Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861), “barchan”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861
- J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1900), “barchan”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 1, Warsaw, page 97