Finland
/ˈfɪn.lənd/noun
A country in Northern Europe.
Did you know?The English name Finland comes through Old English and Old Norse from a Germanic word for the Finns, but the deeper origin of the ethnonym is uncertain and may not even be native to the Finns themselves.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*finnaz
“a Finn, a person from the far northern regions”
Old Norse
ON
Finnr
“a Finn; later also a Sámi person in some contexts”
Old English
OE
Finnas
“Finns; northern peoples”
Old English
OE
Finlond
“land of the Finns”
Middle English
ME
Finland
“Finland, the northern country”