The suffix -stan or -sthan means in Persian "home of", and appears in the names of many countries and regions, especially in Asia. For example, "Turkmenistan" would mean "the home of the Turkmen."
The Online Etymology Dictionary derives -stan from a Persian suffix. This Persian suffix itself goes back to an Indo-Iranian root expressing "place" or "where one stands".
Countries that end in -stan
Other regions
Parodic -stans
See also
Last updated: 08-17-2005 14:31:00
Last updated: 10-29-2005 02:13:46