Hindu Kush
1
7.1
- proper noun
:
Hindu Kush
- And when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in December, the Hindu Kush immediately became jihad central.
- Hindu Kush mountain range
- Hindu Kush mountains
Examples
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See, the mountains, here, leading up to the Hindu Kush, across the Himalayas, then on to Tibet.
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But they have never seen... ...the great cavalry charge at Gaugamela... ...or the mountains of the Hindu Kush... ...when we crossed a 100,000-man army into India.
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It's a tiny mountain nation in the middle of the Hindu Kush range.
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The Mughals of the Hindu Kush are a noble people.
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They Hindu Kush, actually.
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In the spring, Alexander marched an army of 150, 000... ...across the passes of the Hindu Kush... ...into the unknown.
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To the north lie the open steppes; in the south, the jagged peaks of the distant Hindu Kush mountain range rear up in the haze.
Academic text (2011) -
Lapis blocks brought from the Hindu Kush mountains, for example, were cut into smaller chunks and sent on to Mesopotamia and as far west as Syria.
Academic text (2011) -
The breathtaking scenery of the Hindu Kush attracts many travelers each year.
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Mountaineers often explore the rugged trails of the Hindu Kush in search of adventure.
Synonyms
4
7.9
A mountain range in Central Asia with high snowy peaks
A mountain range west of the Himalayas in Afghanistan and Pakistan
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is a toponym built from transparent geographic elements: 'Hindu' (relating to Hindustan/India) + 'Kush' (a mountain range), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it refers to a mountain range associated with that region. Toponymic composition like this is cross-linguistically common, making the meaning directly derivable rather than idiomatic.
Etymology
Hindu Kush may come from two Persian words, Hindu and Kush, where Kush is said to mean 'kill' or 'death'. One popular story says many people from India died trying to cross these high, snowy passes, so the name came to be linked with danger and today names the mountain range.