Avar
/əˈvɑː
/noun
1A member of a nomadic equestrian people from central Asia who built up a large kingdom in SE Europe from the 6th century but were conquered by Charlemagne (791-9).In the third century A.D., Asiatic Huns replaced the Goths and were in turn conquered by Turkic Avars in the sixth century....
- In this book he covers an admirable range of peoples on the move, from the Celts around 500 BC to the nomadic Avars and Bulgars in eastern Europe in the 7th century AD.
- They arrived on the wide plains of Hungary in 895 where they were joined by what was left of the Avars, whom Charlemagne had crushed.
2A member of a pastoral people of Dagestan in Russia, of uncertain relationship to the ancient Avars.But its high point was reached under Imam Shamil, a Dagestani Avar (the Avars are the largest national group in Dagestan)....
- Avars or Caucasian Avars are a modern people of Caucasus, mainly of Dagestan, in which they are the predominant group.
- Many Avars have already volunteered to fight on the federal army's side.
3 [mass noun] The North Caucasian language of the modern Avars.The Botlikhs have no written language and they use the Avar written language....
- Avar is a written language of Dagestan, which has somewhat more than half a million speakers.
- The Hunzib have no literary language of their own and in writing they also use the Avar language.
adjective
Relating to the Avars or their language.The Slavs defended the north-western border to the Carpathians against frequent attacks by the Avar tribes....
- As an example, she cites a sermon delivered by Theodore Synkellos in 627 to commemorate the anniversary of the lifting of the Avar siege of Constantinople the previous year.
- When he seized the Avar treasury, it created an influx of new money to the Western economy.
Origin
The name in Avar.