Finnic
/ˈfɪnɪk/noun
Relating to the Finnic branch of the Uralic language family, including Finnish, Estonian, and several smaller languages.
Did you know?Finnic languages belong to the Uralic family, linking Finnish and Estonian—not to Indo-European languages such as English, Latin, or Greek.
Etymological Timeline
Antiquity
Latin
Fenni
“An ancient ethnonym recorded by the Roman historian Tacitus for a northern European people; its precise origin is uncertain.”
Early Medieval Period
Old Norse
finnr
“A term used broadly for peoples of the far north, including groups associated with hunting and the northern wilderness.”
Middle Ages
Old English and Medieval Latin
Finnas / Finnones
“Forms used in northern European and Latin sources for Finnic- or Sámi-associated peoples; the labels were not always used consistently.”
19th Century
English
Finnic
“A scholarly formation from Finn with the suffix -ic, used to classify the Finnic branch of Uralic languages.”
Modern English
English
Finnic
“Relating to Finnish, Estonian, Karelian, Livonian, and other languages of the Finnic branch.”