Inherited from Ottoman Turkish اشكین (eşkin), from Proto-Turkic *ẹĺgin (“a trot, amble”), from *ẹĺ- (“to walk, to trot, to amble”), equivalent to eş- (“to go fast on the horse”) + -kin. Compare with Karakhanid اَشْكِنْ (eşkin, “long way”), اَشْكِنْجی (eşkinci, “mounted messenger”).