tumen
tumen Lexical Profile
• noun
A major river in Northeast Asia that forms part of the international boundary between China, North Korea, and Russia before flowing into the Sea of Japan.
"Many desperate refugees have historically attempted to cross the frozen Tumen River during the winter to escape North Korea."
A historical military unit in the Mongol Empire and various Turkic armies consisting of exactly ten thousand soldiers.
"The Mongol general commanded a full tumen of heavily armed cavalry during the swift invasion."
A historical administrative and territorial division within the Mongol Empire that was mandated to provide ten thousand able-bodied soldiers for the imperial army.
"The conquered territory was reorganized into several tumens to ensure a steady supply of troops and taxes for future military campaigns."
• Rhymes for tumen
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Mongolian түмэн (tümen) or Old Turkic tümen, meaning 'ten thousand'. It is ultimately derived from Tocharian (compare Tocharian A 'tmāṃ' and Tocharian B 'tmane').
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.