Saami

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An indigenous Finno-Ugric people inhabiting the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia; their Uralic language group; and their distinct cultural heritage and traditional livelihoods
2. A native group of northern Europe known for their reindeer herding and rich cultural traditions; speakers of a Uralic language family; and inhabitants of the Arctic regions of Fennoscandia and Russia
3. An ethnic group residing in the Arctic areas across several countries, characterized by their unique Uralic languages, traditional subsistence practices like reindeer herding, and cultural customs

Etymology: The name the Sami call their own homeland, Sápmi, is what English speakers eventually borrowed as "Sami," and the people's own word for their land is itself of uncertain meaning. Its origin in the Sami languages is not settled; one tentative suggestion links it to a Proto-Balto-Slavic word for "land," though that connection remains uncertain. English long had a different name for these people. The older Old English word "Finn" was used for them, and it was displaced by "Sami" through the influence of the Sami people's own usage. The surviving "Finn" now refers to someone from Finland, a country whose people speak a related but distinct language.

Synonyms: sami, laplander