Mongol
/ˈmɒŋɡ(ə)l
/- Tradition has it that moon cakes were first used to carry messages to help the Chinese throw off the Mongols in the 14th century.
- They are mainly scattered in Inner Mongolia, living together with the Mongols and Chinese.
- Most Kyrgyz people speak the Kyrgyz language, which is a distinct Turkic language with Mongol influences.
- Starting in the sixth century C.E., the area that is now Slovenia was perpetually invaded by the Avars, a Mongol tribe, who were in turn, driven out by the Slavs.
In the 13th century ad the Mongol empire under Genghis Khan extended across central Asia from Manchuria in the east to European Russia in the west. Under Kublai Khan China was conquered and the Mongol capital moved to Khanbaliq (modern Beijing). The Mongol empire collapsed after a series of defeats culminating in the destruction of the Golden Horde by the Muscovites in 1380
Usage
The term mongol was adopted in the late 19th century to refer to a person with Down’s syndrome, owing to the similarity of some of the physical symptoms of the disorder with the normal facial characteristics of East Asian people. In modern English this use is now unacceptable and considered offensive. It has been replaced in scientific as well as in most general contexts by the term Down’s syndrome (first recorded in the early 1960s).
Origin
Mongolian, perhaps from mong 'brave'.