Samoyed

noun

Sam·​o·​yed ˈsa-mə-ˌyed How to pronounce Samoyed (audio)
-ˌmȯi-
variants or less commonly Samoyede
1
: a member of any of a group of peoples inhabiting the far north of European Russia and parts of northwestern Siberia
2
: the family of Uralic languages spoken by the Samoyed people
3
: any of a Siberian breed of medium-sized white or cream-colored sled dogs
Samoyed adjective
Samoyedic adjective

Word History

Etymology

Russian samoed, from Old Russian samoyadi, of Sami origin; akin to North Sami sápmi (genitive sámi) Sami homeland & eatnam-, eana land

First Known Use

1589, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Samoyed was in 1589

Dictionary Entries Near Samoyed

Cite this Entry

“Samoyed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Samoyed. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

Samoyed

noun
Sam·​o·​yed ˈsam-ə-ˌyed How to pronounce Samoyed (audio)
ˈsam-ˌȯi-ˌed
: any of a breed of medium-sized white or cream-colored sled dogs developed in Siberia

More from Merriam-Webster on Samoyed

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!