Kamassian
/kəˈmæsiən/noun
Relating to the Kamass people or to Kamassian, an extinct Samoyedic language formerly spoken in southern Siberia.
Did you know?Kamassian is considered extinct, although linguists recorded the speech of its last known native speaker, Klavdiya Plotnikova, before her death in 1989.
Etymological Timeline
19th Century
Russian
ка́массинский (kamassinskiy)
“Russian adjective meaning “Kamassian,” referring to the Kamass people and their language.”
19th–20th Century
German
Kamas(s)isch
“German scholarly form used in descriptions of the Kamass language and people.”
20th Century
English
Kamassian
“English ethnolinguistic adjective referring to the Kamass people or their Samoyedic language.”
20th Century
Kamassian
кӧбал (köbal)
“A recorded Kamass self-designation associated with the people; the external name “Kamassian” is not securely derived from this form.”
Modern English
English
Kamassian
“A historical or linguistic term for the extinct language and its former speakers.”