Azeri
/əˈzɛːri
/noun (plural Azeris)
1A member of a Turkic people forming the majority population of Azerbaijan, and also living in Armenia and northern Iran.Iran has Persian-speaking populations on the central plateau, but on the peripheries are ethnic and religious minorities, including Turkic Azeris, Kurds, Lurs, Arabs, Baluch, Tajiks and Turkmen....
- Approximately 10 million Azeris live in Iran - more than in Azerbaijan.
- Consequently, there are today twice as many ethnic Azeris in Iran as there are in Azerbaijan, with a population of 8 million.
2 [mass noun] The Azerbaijani language.Today, young people have the greatest chances of getting the best jobs if they speak three languages: Azeri, Russian, and English....
- Linguistically, it is close to Azeri, Turkish, and Uzbek.
- Until 1926, Azeri was written in Arabic script, which then was replaced by the Latin alphabet and in 1939 by Cyrillic.
adjective
Relating to the Azeris or their language.But the consortium of oil companies, called Azerbaijan International Operating Company, claimed that they paid Azeri leaders for the same block $400 million in bonuses....
- Because of decades of Soviet rule, she said, few Azeris have a sound knowledge of Islam, although Islam remains an integral part of Azeri identity.
- In the absence of Kazak oil the commercial viability of Baku-Jeyhan will continue to rest solely on the availability of additional Azeri oil.
Origin
From Turkish azerî.