Tungusic
/tʊŋˈɡuːsɪk/noun
Relating to the Tungusic languages or peoples of Siberia and adjacent regions.
Did you know?The term was coined by scholars from an ethnonym for the Evenki (historically called Tungus), and it became the standard label for one of Eurasia’s great northern language families.
Etymological Timeline
17th–18th Century
Russian
тунгус (tungus)
“An ethnonym used for the Evenki and related peoples of Siberia.”
19th Century
German
tungusisch
“A scholarly adjective meaning 'pertaining to the Tungus/Tungusic peoples or languages.'”
19th Century
French
tungusique
“Used in linguistic classification for the Tungusic peoples and their languages.”
Late 19th Century
English
Tungusic
“Pertaining to the Tungus peoples or the language family associated with them.”