Oroch
/ˈɒrɒtʃ/noun
A member of a small Tungusic-speaking Indigenous people of the Russian Far East, or their language.
Did you know?The Oroch traditionally call themselves Nani, meaning “people,” while “Oroch” is an external name connected with Tungusic terminology for reindeer and reindeer herders.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Tungusic period
Proto-Tungusic
*oro
“Reindeer”
Early Tungusic
Tungusic
*oroči
“A reindeer herder or person associated with reindeer”
Medieval period
Manchu-related Tungusic
oroči
“Reindeer herder; ethnonym formed with an occupational suffix”
18th Century
Russian
орочи́ (orochi)
“Name used in Russian records for the Oroch people”
19th Century
English
Oroch
“An ethnonym for the Indigenous people and language of the Russian Far East”
Modern English
English
Oroch
“A member of the Oroch people or the Oroch language”