Finns

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. People originating from Finland ; a member of the Finnish ethnic group ; the Finnish language speakers
2. Inhabitants of the Nordic country Finland ; representatives of the Finnish nationality ; individuals speaking the Finno-Ugric language of Finland
3. Citizens or natives of Finland ; those belonging to the Finnish people ; persons who use the official language of Finland known as Finnish

Etymology: The word "Finns" is simply the plural of "Finn," a name for a person from Finland, and the English noun traces back to Old English "Finnas," a term for the Sami people of the far north and, later, the Finnish people. The Old English word itself was borrowed from Old Norse "Finnr," which was applied to the Sami and to the Finnic-speaking peoples of the region, and that Norse word is generally linked to an older Germanic root. The name's origins are a good example of how an outsider's label can end up attached to a whole nation. The Finns themselves call their country "Suomi" and call themselves "suomalaiset," a name the English-speaking world never adopted for the people. Instead, "Finn" spread through Germanic and Norse contact with the Finnic-speaking peoples long before modern Finland existed as a state, and it was eventually applied to the inhabitants of the Finnish territory.