Forms: 7– toman; also 6 tumen, thuman, 7 tomana, thoman, thoma(u)nd, tomin, tumain, tummon, 7–9 tomaun. [a. Pers. tūmān, tumān, tuman, according to Devic, a Yuzbeg Tartar word (whence its unsettled form), lit. ‘ten thousand.’]
1. Formerly among the Mongols, Tartars, etc., and thence in Persia and Turkey: The sum of ten thousand; also, a military division consisting of 10,000 men. Now rare.
1599. Hakluyt, Voy., II. I. 61. The lord of the same citie hath in yeerely reuenues for salt onely, fiftie Thuman of Balis, and one balis is worth a floren and a halfe of our coyne: insomuch that one Thuman of balis amounteth vnto the value of fifteene thousand florens.
1788. Gibbon, Decl. & F., lxv. VI. 333. The fruitful territory of Cash, of which his fathers were the hereditary chiefs, as well as of a toman of ten thousand horse.
1877. J. M. Porteous, Turkey, 54. Numbering in Turkish custom was by tomans, ten thousands or myriads.
2. A Persian gold coin, nominally worth 10 silver krans or 10,000 dinars; formerly a money of account, which was constantly depreciated in value from £3 13s. (or more) c. 1600 to its present (1912), value of 7s. 1d.: see quots.
1566. A. Edwards, in Hakluyt, Voy. (1589), 378. I haue receiued 6. tumens in readie money: 200. shaughes is a tumen, reckoning euery shaugh for 6. pence Russe.
1613. Sherley, Trav. Persia, 72. Marganobeague … brought mee … a thousand Tomanas, which is sixteene thousand Duckets of our Money.
1623. St. Papers, Col., 212. Sold the Primrose for 400 tomans, every toman 3l. 6s. 4d.
1629. in Foster, Eng. Factories India (1909), III. 354. Other men pay one keale or quart uppon every tummon.
1662. J. Davies, trans. Olearius’ Voy. Ambass., 300. When they [the Persians] are to name great Sums, they accompt by Tumains.
1686. W. Hedges, Diary (Hakl. Soc.), I. 215. They were robbed of all their money, to the sum of 4 Tomauns.
1698. Fryer, Acc. E. India & P., 222. He pays the King yearly Twenty two thousand Thomands, every Thomand making Three pound and a Noble in our Accompt.
1753. Hanway, Trav. (1762), I. V. lxiv. 292. The toman, bistie, and denaer are imaginary…. A toman is 10 hazardenaers … Value in denaers, 10000. Weight in muscals, 50.
1811. Pinkerton, Mod. Geog., Persia, ii. (ed. 3), 459. The whole revenue was by some estimated at 700,000 tomans, or about thirty-two millions of French livres.
1815. Elphinstone, Acc. Caubul (1842), II. 269. The sum to be paid for a substitute … generally is from five to seven tomauns (from 10l. to 14l.).
1845. Browning, Flight Duchess, xiv. The band-roll strung with tomans Which proves the veil a Persian woman’s.
1858. Simmonds, Dict. Trade, Toman, a conventional money of Persia of a very variable character…; it may be valued at about 12s. 6d.
1882. Floyer, Unexpl. Balūchistan, 505. Ali Abker engages to hire a saddle horse and three mules to Mr. Floyer, for himself and baggage, from Isfahan to Kirmanshahan, for fifteen days, for the sum of eight tomans (£3 16s.), being at the rate of two tomans each.
