Bakhmut

• Bachmut

Borrowed from Ukrainian Бахму́т (Baxmút). Named after the nearby Bakhmutka River (aka Bakhmut River), the name of which apparently derives from the word Ukrainian бахма́т (baxmát, “pony; war-horse, pack-horse”) (cf. Russian бахма́т (baxmát) and Polish bachmat), from a Turkic language.[1] Regarding the word бахмат (baxmat) (and its Russian and Polish cognates), linguists offer the following hypotheses:

• It is considered a borrowing from a Turkic (Crimean Tatar, or rather Nogai) language paχn at, in which it is explained (according to Lokotsch[2] and Miklosich,[3] for example) as a compound word formed from Persian پهن (pahn, “wide, broad”) (cf. Ottoman Turkish پهن (pehn)) + at (“horse”) of Common Turkic origin (cf. Nogai at, Crimean Tatar at).[4] Vasmer considers this highly unlikely.[5]
• Menges derives it from a Turkic form of the name Mähmäd ("Mohammed")[6] (cf. Old East Slavic Бохмитъ (Boxmitŭ, “Магомет/Magomet”).[7]

Presumably related place names: Бахматівці, Bachmatówka, Bachmackie Kolonie, Bahmut.

• IPA^(key): /bɑxˈmut/, /bɑkˈmut/

Bakhmut

1. A city, the administrative centre of Bakhmut Raion, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine.
   • 2022 November 22, Lorenzo Tondo, “Ukraine’s security service raids Russian-backed monastery in Kyiv”, in The Guardian‎:

     Moscow also appeared to be building up forces and increasing its military efforts on the eastern Donbas front around the key town of Bakhmut.

2. A raion, a district of Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. Seat: Bakhmut.

• Rudnyc'kyj, Ja. (1962–1972) “бахмат”, in An Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language, volumes 1 (А – Ґ), Winnipeg: Ukrainian Free Academy of Sciences, →LCCN, page 89
• Melnychuk, O. S., editor (1982–2012), “бахмат”, in Етимологічний словник української мови [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka
• Lokotsch, Karl (1927) Etymologisches Wörterbuch der europäischen Wörter orientalischen Ursprungs (in German), Heidelberg: Carl Winter’s Universitätsbuchhandlung, § 128, pages 11-12
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “бахмат”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: ProgressVasmer, Max (1964–1973) “бахмат”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress