noun
or ki·tan ˈkēˈtän ; also chi-dan or chi-tan ˈchēˈdän
( plural khitan or khitans or kitan or kitans )
Usage: usually capitalized
1. : a conquering Tatar people maintaining hegemony of northern China in the Liao dynasty from the 10th to the 12th centuries
2. : a member of the Khitan people