Sámi
/ˈsɑː.mi/noun
A member of the Indigenous Sámi peoples of northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia, or relating to their languages and cultures.
Did you know?The word Sámi is generally traced through Sámi-language forms such as Northern Sámi sámi, but scholars still debate its deeper prehistoric origin; the older outsider label “Lapp” is now widely considered outdated or offensive.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Samic
Proto-Samic
*sāmē
“A reconstructed ancestral ethnonym, commonly proposed as the source of later Sámi forms; its ultimate origin remains disputed.”
Medieval Period
Old Norse
finnar
“A Norse exonym for the northern Indigenous peoples, later associated with the Sámi; it is not the source of the word Sámi.”
Medieval Finnish
Finnish
saame
“The Finnish name for the Sámi people and their language.”
Modern Northern Sámi
Northern Sámi
sámi
“The self-designation for the Sámi people and, in related usage, their language.”
Modern English
English
Sámi
“The established English ethnonym and adjective for the Indigenous Sámi peoples, languages, and cultures.”