# barchan

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈbɑːk(ə)n/

## Definitions
1. An arc-shaped shifting sand dune comprising well-sorted (uniformly sized) sand.

## Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from Russian барха́н (barxán), from a Turkic language such as Kazakh барқан (barqan); further etymology unknown. The Russian word was first used in scientific literature in 1881 by the Russian zoologist and explorer Alexander von Middendorf (1815–1894).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/barchan