Domari
/doʊˈmɑːri/noun
Domari is an endangered Indo-Aryan language traditionally spoken by Dom communities across parts of the Middle East.
Did you know?Domari and Romani are related at a distant historical level, but they are separate Indo-Aryan languages shaped by different migrations and centuries of contact with neighboring peoples.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Sanskrit
Sanskrit
ḍomba
“A member of a hereditary community associated in historical sources with entertainers, musicians, and other specialized occupations”
Middle Indo-Aryan period
Prakrit
ḍomba/ḍoma
“Forms referring to Dom-related communities, with regional variation in spelling and pronunciation”
Medieval period
Indo-Aryan languages
ḍom/dom
“An ethnonym used for Dom communities in South Asia and later across parts of the Middle East”
Medieval to early modern period
Domari
dom
“The community name preserved within the language’s own traditions”
Modern period
English
Domari
“The conventional English name for the language of the Dom people”