Tungus

[ toong-gooz ]

noun

, plural Tun·gus·es, (especially collectively) Tun·gus.

1. Evenki.
2. any member of a Tungusic-speaking people.

Tungus

/ ˈtʊŋɡʊs /

noun

1. -guses-gus a member of a formerly nomadic Mongoloid people of E Siberia
2. Also calledEvenki the language of this people, belonging to the Tungusic branch of the Altaic family

Word History and Origins

Origin of Tungus¹

1620–30; ≪ Russian tungús, probably < Tatar, a formation with the Turkic suffix *-guz, used in ethnic names; identity of 1st element obscure

Example Sentences

He was a stout man of possibly fifty years of age, unlike a Tungus, and dressed like a Yakut, with a silver Yakut belt.

From Project Gutenberg

Yet none of this was accompanied by the gaiety and animation which usually prevails among the Tungus on such occasions.

From Project Gutenberg

The alien rulers were first the Mongols, and later the Tungus Manchus.

From Project Gutenberg

Sometimes a wizard expects no fee unless he is successful, as among the Tungus, Yakut and Buryats.

From Project Gutenberg

Daur is, in fact, the name applied by the Buryats to all the Tungus peoples of the Amur basin.

From Project Gutenberg