Lapland
/ˈlæp.lənd/noun
A region in northern Scandinavia and the Kola Peninsula, traditionally associated with the Sámi people.
Did you know?The name is historically tied to older Scandinavian words for the Sámi, and many scholars connect that older term to a root meaning something like 'patch' or 'scrap'—a reminder that place-names can preserve the biases of the people who coined them.
Etymological Timeline
16th Century
Swedish
Lappland
“Name used for the northern territory inhabited by the Sámi”
Middle Ages
Scandinavian
Lapp
“An exonym for the Sámi people, later considered offensive in many contexts”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*lappō / *lappaz
“A word often connected by scholars with a scrap, patch, or rag-like piece; the exact origin is uncertain”
Modern English
English
Lapland
“The northern region of Scandinavia traditionally associated with the Sámi”