Romany

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A person belonging to the traditionally nomadic people who originated in India and live across Europe ; the Indo-Aryan language spoken among that people ; of or pertaining to that people or their speech
2. A individual of the Romani ethnic group, long known for travelling lifestyles ; the Indo-Aryan tongue used by those communities ; describing something connected with those people or their language
3. Someone from the Romani community whose ancestors migrated from South Asia centuries ago ; the Indo-Aryan speech of these travelling peoples ; characteristic of the Romani people or their tongue

Etymology: The word "romany" is a variant of "Romani," and its roots lie in the Romani language itself. The Romani language's word for a Romani man is "rom," meaning "man," and "romani" is the feminine form of "romano," meaning "of or pertaining to the Roma." So the name a people gave themselves is built from a simple word for a man, shaped into an adjective describing their people and language. Despite its look, the word has nothing to do with Rome, Romans, or Romania. English speakers often assume a link to the city or empire, and that assumption is mistaken. Some sources suggest that certain forms may have been influenced by Italian "Romani" or "Romano," or related words, but the core of the name is the Romani word "rom."

Synonyms: Romani, Romanichal