Caucasus

== English == === Etymology === Via Latin Caucasus, from Ancient Greek Καύκασος (Kaúkasos). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈkɔːkəsəs/ Homophone: caucuses === Proper noun === Caucasus A mountain range in Eastern Europe between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, on territory of Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, which includes the ranges of Greater Caucasus and Lesser Caucasus. The Hindu Kush, anciently known by Latin and Greek translated variants as the 'Caucasus of India' since the time of Alexander the Great. (geopolitics) A geopolitical region in Eastern Europe and Western Asia, deriving its name from the aforementioned mountains. ==== Usage notes ==== Usually referred to as the Caucasus, but not always (see quot. 1887) In vernacular speech, this term is often misconstrued as a plural noun (e.g. the "Caucases" or "Caucuses"), as many other mountains chains in English are collective plural nouns, such as the Rockies, the Alps, the Appalachians, etc. This may also contribute to the popular usage of the definite article alongside it, whereas other geographical regions are often not accompanied by an article (especially Latin-derived toponyms). ==== Related terms ==== ==== Translations ==== == Latin == === Etymology === Borrowed from Ancient Greek Καύκασος (Kaúkasos). === Pronunciation === (Classical Latin) IPA(key): [ˈkau̯.ka.sʊs] (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): [ˈkaːu̯.ka.s̬us] === Proper noun === Caucasus m sg (genitive Caucasī); second declension Caucasus ==== Declension ==== Second-declension noun, singular only. ==== Descendants ==== Catalan: Caucas French: Caucase Galician: Cáucaso Italian: Caucaso Occitan: Caucàs Portuguese: Cáucaso Romanian: Caucaz Spanish: Cáucaso → Basque: Kaukaso → Arabic: اَلْقَوْقَاز (al-qawqāz) → Azerbaijani: Qafqaz → Pashto: قفقاز (qafqāz, qavqāz) → Classical Persian: Persian: قفقاز (qafqâz) Tajik: Қафқоз (Qafqoz) → Tatar: Qawqaz → Danish: Kaukasus (learned) → Dutch: Kaukasus (learned) → English: Caucasus (learned) → Finnish: Kaukasus (learned) → German: Kaukasus (learned) → Hungarian: Kaukázus (learned) → Middle Irish: Cucas Irish: Cugas → Russian: Кавказ (Kavkaz) (see there for further descendants)