Probably from Proto-Germanic *finnaz. Compare Old Norse Finnr (“a Sami”), Latin Fenni. The name as used by Tacitus is unclear about whom it actually describes. More at Fenni.
Φῐ́ννος • (Phínnos) m (genitive Φῐ́ννου); second declension
The Latin Fennus (as mentioned by Tacitus) and the Ancient Greek term Φίννος (Phínnos) (as mentioned by Ptolemy) have ambiguous ancient meanings. The Finnish and broader Baltic Finnic peoples as they are known today were not well documented at the time, and it is unlikely that Φίννος (Phínnos) refers to them specifically. Rather, the term more likely referred to the Sami people (who at the time occupied most of what is now Finland), or more vaguely to far northern Europeans in general.
However, Finns as an ethnicity became far better documented (especially in Viking chronicles) during the Middle Ages. Today, the modern Greek term Φίννος (Fínnos) specifically refers to the Finnish people.
Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nominative | ὁ Φῐ́ννος ho Phínnos |
τὼ Φῐ́ννω tṑ Phínnō |
οἱ Φῐ́ννοι hoi Phínnoi | ||||||||||
Genitive | τοῦ Φῐ́ννου toû Phínnou |
τοῖν Φῐ́ννοιν toîn Phínnoin |
τῶν Φῐ́ννων tôn Phínnōn | ||||||||||
Dative | τῷ Φῐ́ννῳ tôi Phínnōi |
τοῖν Φῐ́ννοιν toîn Phínnoin |
τοῖς Φῐ́ννοις toîs Phínnois | ||||||||||
Accusative | τὸν Φῐ́ννον tòn Phínnon |
τὼ Φῐ́ννω tṑ Phínnō |
τοὺς Φῐ́ννους toùs Phínnous | ||||||||||
Vocative | Φῐ́ννε Phínne |
Φῐ́ννω Phínnō |
Φῐ́ννοι Phínnoi | ||||||||||
Notes: |
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