kurgan

1. A type of tumulus or barrow characteristic of a culture located on the steppes of southern Russia about 5000 B.C. and later spreading to the Danube, northern Europe, and northern Iran from around 3500 B.C.
2. Kurgan
   1. The culture that produced these tumuli or barrows.
   2. A member of the people or peoples sharing this culture. The earliest Kurgans are considered by some to be speakers of Proto-Indo-European.

[Russian, fortified place, grave mound, from Old Turkic kurghan, fortified place.]

Tutor's tip: This word was used in the 2006 Scripps National Spelling Bee finals.