Samoyed

[ sam-uh-yed, suh-moi-id ]

noun

1. a member of a Uralic people dwelling in W Siberia and the far NE parts of European Russia.
2. Also a subfamily of Uralic languages spoken by the Samoyed people.
3. (sometimes lowercase) one of a Russian breed of medium-sized dogs that have long, dense, white or cream hair and are used by the Samoyed people for herding reindeer and pulling sleds.

Samoyed

/ ˌsæməˈjɛd /

noun

1. -yed-yeds a member of a group of peoples who migrated along the Russian Arctic coast and now live chiefly in the area of the N Urals: related to the Finns
2. the languages of these peoples, related to Finno-Ugric within the Uralic family
3. səˈmɔɪɛd a Siberian breed of dog of the spitz type, having a dense white or cream coat with a distinct ruff, and a tightly curled tail

Derived Forms

• ˌSamoˈyedic, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Samoyed¹

First recorded in 1580–90, Samoyed is from the Russian word samoyéd

Word History and Origins

Origin of Samoyed¹

C17: from Russian Samoed

Example Sentences

Now, this seems at once to connect the Aino with the Samoyed and the Lapp.

From Project Gutenberg

To the Samoyed, for instance, the reindeer which serves him as unit of value is wealth in the most concrete and tangible form.

From Project Gutenberg

The Samoyed shamans are, as a rule, the most intelligent and cunning of the whole race.

From Project Gutenberg

The modifications to which our own alphabet has been subjected, are those that Castrn has made in his Samoyed grammar and lexicon.

From Project Gutenberg

Now the bow appears to have almost completely gone out of use, for we saw not a single Samoyed archer.

From Project Gutenberg