Faroese

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. Relating to the Faroe Islands including their people, language, culture, or geographical attributes
2. Pertaining to the group of North Germanic languages spoken by inhabitants of the Faroe Islands or anything associated with this archipelago
3. Connected with the native population, dialect, traditions, or territory of the Faroe Islands situated in the North Atlantic Ocean

Etymology: "Faroese" is about as transparent as an English adjective gets: it is the Faroe Islands plus the suffix "-ese", the same ending found in "Japanese", "Maltese" and "Portuguese". The "-ese" ending comes into English from French, which took it from Late Latin "-ensis", meaning "belonging to" or "from" a place. Attaching it to a place name produces a word meaning "of or relating to that place", whether the thing in question is a people, a language or a product. The islands' own name is the more interesting part. "Faroe" derives from Old Norse "Færøyar", literally "sheep islands", combining "færi" (sheep) and "øyar" (islands). Norse settlers gave the name to the archipelago, and the modern form still preserves that root. The Faroese language itself descends from Old Norse, which is why the people and their speech share a name with the islands.

Synonyms: Faroe Islander, Faroese language, Faroese people