Etymograph

English

Samoyed

Samoyed comes from Russian самое́д.

  1. Russianmodernсамое́дsamojéd
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1613Samoyed

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Earlier history not traced here.

Lineage

  1. Russianmodernсамое́дsamojéd
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1613Samoyed

Earliest quotation: 1613, Samuel Purchas, [Asia.] Of other Northerne people adioyning to the Tartars.: “The Samoyeds are Idolaters and Witches, obſeruing diuelliſh ſuperſtitions”.

The story

From Russian самое́д (samojéd), probably from Sami *saam-edne (‘land of the people’); compare Finnish Suomi (‘Finn’). In the course of borrowing, the word was folk-etymologically reinterpreted as сам (sam, “self, own”) + есть, ед- (jestʹ, jed-, “eat”), "self-eater."folk etymology The source marks this as unproven or a folk etymology. Quoted, not asserted.

Every English word from Russian самое́д

Today it means

noun A member of the Samoyedic peoples of the Siberian Urals, who speak Samoyedic languages.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Russian самое́д / Samoyed

Shirt and support for this word