endonym

[en-duh-nim]

noun

Anthropology.

1. Also called autonym. the name that an ethnic, racial, or social group uses for itself or its language, such as Schwyzerdütsch for Swiss German.

2. the name used to refer to a place by its inhabitants, as opposed to a name used by foreigners.

   In the 1920s, Reza Shah requested that the West call his country by its endonym “Iran,” rather than “Persia.”

Other Word Forms

• endonymic adjective
• endonymous adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of endonym¹

First recorded in 1970–75; end(o)- ( def. ) + -onym ( def. )