azerbaijan

IPA/ˌæzəbaɪˈdʒɑːn/
KK[ˌɑzɚbaɪdʒˈɑn]IPA/ˌæzərbaɪˈdʒɑːn/

azerbaijan — noun

1. An independent country in the South Caucasus, lying mainly in western Asia with

1.nounB1
Definition

An independent country in the South Caucasus, lying mainly in western Asia with a small part in southeastern Europe, bordering the Caspian Sea to the east. It shares land borders with Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Iran, and includes the separate territory of Nakhchivan, which is cut off from the main country by Armenia. The capital is Baku, and the country covers about 86,600 square kilometres with roughly ten million people.

Example

Lakshmi spent three weeks reporting from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, last spring.

proper noun: capital city of Azerbaijan (Baku)

Azerbaijan sits between Russia and Iran, with a long coastline along the Caspian Sea.

geographical position (subject in main clause)

Common collocations
  • the people of Azerbaijan
  • the capital of Azerbaijan
  • born in Azerbaijan
  • the oil fields of Azerbaijan
Synonyms

Usage Note

Refers to the modern independent country, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan. Distinguish from sense 2, the historical region of the same name inside northwestern Iran — context (Baku, the Caspian coast, Soviet break-up) almost always signals the country.

Common Mistakes

Azerbaijan is part of Russia.
Azerbaijan is an independent country that was once part of the Soviet Union.
it became fully independent in 1991 and has its own government, currency, and army.

2. A historical and cultural region in the northwestern part of Iran, lying just so

2.nounC1
Definition

A historical and cultural region in the northwestern part of Iran, lying just south of the modern country of the same name. Its main city is Tabriz, and most of the people speak Azerbaijani Turkish at home alongside Persian. Iranians often call this area Iranian Azerbaijan to keep it clearly apart from the country to the north.

Example

Salma travelled by train from Tehran to Tabriz, the largest city of Iranian Azerbaijan.

proper noun: Tabriz as the regional capital

Many people in northwestern Azerbaijan speak both Azerbaijani Turkish and Persian at home.

collocation: people in Azerbaijan (linguistic context)

Common collocations
  • Iranian Azerbaijan
  • the people of Azerbaijan
  • the cities of Azerbaijan
  • northwestern Azerbaijan
Synonyms
  • Iranian Azerbaijan

    the everyday English label; almost always preferred over the bare name when this sense is meant

Usage Note

Almost always written or spoken as 'Iranian Azerbaijan' to mark the contrast with the country in sense 1. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense names a region inside Iran, not a sovereign state, and has no government of its own.

Common Mistakes

Iranian Azerbaijan is a separate country from Iran.
Iranian Azerbaijan is a region inside Iran.
it is part of Iran and is governed from Tehran, not Baku.

Word family

  • Azerbaijani
    adjectiveC1
  • Azerbaijani
    nounC1
  • Azeri
    adjectiveC1
  • Azeri
    nounC1

Common collocations

Nouns

  • the people of Azerbaijan
  • the capital of Azerbaijan
  • the cities of Azerbaijan
  • the mountains of Azerbaijan

Phrases

  • born in Azerbaijan
  • live in Azerbaijan
  • a trip to Azerbaijan
  • travel through Azerbaijan

Prepositions

  • in Azerbaijan
  • to Azerbaijan
  • from Azerbaijan
  • across Azerbaijan

Etymology

Old PersianGreekMiddle PersianArabicPersianEnglish

The name is generally traced back to Atropates, a Persian governor who ruled the northern part of Media after Alexander the Great's conquest in the 4th century BCE. The Greek form Atropatene gave Middle Persian Aturpatakan, meaning roughly 'the land of Atropates' or 'the land kept by fire', which was linked in folk understanding to the Zoroastrian fire temples of the region. Arabic writers later reshaped the name as Adharbayjan, and modern European spellings, including English Azerbaijan, descend from that Arabic form through Persian and Turkish.