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Han¹

(hän)

n. pl. Han or Hans

A member of the largest ethnic group of China, especially as distinguished from Manchus, Mongols, Huis, and other minority nationalities. Also called Chinese.

[Mandarin Hàn, the Han people, Han dynasty, the name of the Han River, from Middle Chinese xan` (the name of the people and dynasty being derived from the Old Chinese name of the river).]

Han²

(hän)

A Chinese dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) noted for unifying and expanding its national territory and for promoting literature and the arts.

[Mandarin Hàn; see HAN¹.]

Han³

(hän)

A river, about 1,530 km (950 mi) long, of east-central China flowing generally southeast to the Yangtze River.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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