Tartars

Tartars (better TATARS), originally certain Tungusic tribes in Chinese Tartary, but extended to the Mongol, Turkish, and other warriors, who under Genghis Khan and other chiefs were the terror of the European middle ages. The name, originally Turkish and Persian Tatar, was doubtless changed to Tartar, either consciously or unconsciously, because they were supposed to be like fiends from hell (Gr. tartaros, 'hell'). The term is used loosely for tribes of mixed origin in Tartary, Siberia, and the Russian steppes, including Kazan Tartars, Crim Tartars, Kipchaks, Kalmucks, &c., and has no definite ethnological meaning. In the classification of languages Tartaric is used of the Turkish group. See the articles TURKS, MONGOLS, and TURANIANS.