English Explanatory Dictionary

Tungus

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A member of any Tungusic people.
name
  1. The Evenki language.

Pronunciation

/ˈtʊŋɡʊs/ /ˈtʊŋɡuːs/

Word forms

Tungus Tunguses Tungoose

Etymology

From Russian тунгус (tungus), * supposedly deriving from donki, a self-designation of certain Siberian groups, or alternatively from a Yakut name for the Evenki. * Or, of East Turkic origin, from tunguz (“wild boar, pig”), from Old Turkic [script needed] (tonguz), from Proto-Turkic *toŋuz. * A controversial theory further connects the word with Chinese 東胡 /东胡 (Dōnghú, “Donghu”, literally “Eastern barbarians”), an ancient people of North China. More at Tungusic.

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