Definition

1. Noun:
   • An ethnic group: A Pashtun is a member of a major ethnic group native to southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan.
   • A speaker of Pashto: A Pashtun is a person whose native language is Pashto.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The Pashtun have a rich cultural tradition based on a tribal code.
  • He is a Pashtun from the Kandahar region.

Advanced Usage

• As a collective noun: "The Pashtun" can refer to the ethnic group as a whole.
  • The Pashtun are known for their hospitality and martial history.

Variants and Related Words

• Pashto (n): The Eastern Iranian language spoken by the Pashtun people.
  • She is learning to speak Pashto.
• Pathan (n): A term historically used, particularly in South Asia, to refer to a Pashtun.
  • The term 'Pathan' is commonly used in Pakistan and India.

Synonyms

• Pathan: (See Variants and Related Words)
• Afghan: In historical and some contemporary contexts, "Afghan" was synonymous with Pashtun, though in modern usage "Afghan" refers to any citizen of Afghanistan.

Noun

1. an ethnic minority speaking Pashto and living in northwestern Pakistan and southeastern Afghanistan
2. a member of the mountain people living in the eastern regions of Afghanistan
   • Pathans are the predominant ethnic group in Afghanistan