Tungus

Meaning

Noun

A member of any Tungusic people.

Name

The Evenki language.

Synonyms

Tunguz

Evenki

Ewenki

Evenk

Tungusic

Tungusic language

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈtʊŋɡʊs/

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. More at Tungusic.
A controversial theory further connects the word with Chinese 東胡／东胡 (Dōnghú, “Donghu”, literally “Eastern barbarians”), an ancient people of North China.