This dictionary, the first of its kind in Turkological studies, will prove to be an invaluable research tool for those studying the Crimea, Ukraine, as well as Eurasian Nomadism. It is the result of year-long painstaking research into the etymology of Crimean pre-Russian habitation names, providing insight into the Turkic, Greek, Caucasian place-names in a comparative context, as well as the histories of these cities, towns and villages themselves. The dictionary contains approximately 1,500 entries, preceded by an introduction with notes on the history of the Crimea and the structure of habitation names. For the reader’s convenience, many entries are classified in indices which follow the main part of the book. Additionally, three detailed primary source maps, separately indexed, are appended to the dictionary, as well as a map showing the administration network of the Crimea at the end of the Crimean Tatar Khanate.

Practical and reliable, this reference traces English words back to their Indo-European roots. Each entry features a brief definition, identifies the language of origin, and employs a few illustrative quotations. An extensive appendix includes lists of prefixes, suffixes, Indo-European roots, homonyms and doublets, and the distribution of English-language sources.

The author reveals the amazing secrets of toponyms. The languages of the mankind grew out of an ancient community but now their kinship is barely visible. However, the preserved names that the ancestors gave to the features of the landscape make it easy to realize how the names Rome and Paris, Iowa and Missouri, London and the Thames, the Baikal, the Dardanelles and others appeared. Reading will help to see the world around you in a new way and awaken interest to the truth.