Tungus

English

Alternative forms

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈtʊŋɡʊs/, /ˈtʊŋɡuːs/

Etymology

From Russian тунгус (tungus), supposedly deriving from donki, a self-designation of certain Siberian groups, or alternatively from a Yakut name for the Evenki. [1]

A controversial theory further connects the word with Chinese 東胡 (“Donghu”, literally “Eastern barbarians”), an ancient people of North China.

Noun

Tungus (plural Tunguses)

  1. A member of any Tungusic people.

Proper noun

Tungus

  1. (dated, possibly obsolete) The Evenki language.

References
  1. New Light on the Origins of the Manchus, Pei Huang, 1990

Anagrams
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.