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Romani

American  
[rom-uh-nee, roh-muh-] / ˈrɒm ə ni, ˈroʊ mə- /
Also Romany,

noun

  • Romanis,
    plural
  • Romani
    plural
  1. the Indic language of the Roma, its various forms differing greatly because of local influences.

  2. a member of the Roma, a traditionally nomadic ethnic group.


adjective

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Roma, their language, or their customs.

    the Romani people.

Romani British  
/ ˈrɒmənɪ, ˈrəʊ- /

noun

  1. a variant spelling of Romany

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Sensitive Note

See gypsy.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of Romani

First recorded in 1800–05; from Romani romani, feminine singular of adjective romanō “pertaining to the Roma”; see origin at Rom ( def. )


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Kezia is the lone surviving member of a nomadic Romani family.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

"She reflects the reality of millions of people living in the Balkans. She embodies a Balkan identity more than a Romani one," he told AFP.

From Barron's ● Apr. 21, 2026

"But it's nice to not know everything," Romani added.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 1, 2026

The church houses the Salus Populi Romani, a Byzantine icon of the Virgin believed to have been made by St Luke the Evangelist and used by Jesuit orders all over the world.

From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2025

Or at best a confused motivation, as with Liszt’s well-intentioned misunderstanding of Romani music.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Even what to call the entities in these devices is fraught, says Chloe Romanis, a biolawyer at Durham Law School, UK.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 18, 2023

With holy oil Monsignor de Romanis touched the Pope's closed eyes.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Monsignor Sacristan, Alfonso de Romanis, parish priest of the Vatican, sprinkled the still room and its grave company with holy water.

From Time Magazine Archive

The reader interested in the subject may consult the learned Streinnius’s De Gentibus Romanis, p.

From Custom and Myth New Edition by Andrew Lang

After this word, in the editions of Cortius, Kritzius, Gerlach, Allen, and Dietsch, follows Romanis or esse Romanis.

From Conspiracy of Catiline and the Jurgurthine War by John Selby Watson

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