Φίννος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /pʰín.nos/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈpʰin.nos/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈɸin.nos/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈfin.nos/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈfi.nos/

Noun

Φῐ́ννος • (Phĭ́nnos) m (genitive Φῐ́ννου); second declension

one of the Fenni or Phinnoi

Usage notes

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.

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ Φῐ́ννος; τοῦ Φῐ́ννου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ Φῐ́ννος ho Phĭ́nnos	τὼ Φῐ́ννω tṑ Phĭ́nnō	οἱ Φῐ́ννοι hoi Phĭ́nnoi
Genitive	τοῦ Φῐ́ννου toû Phĭ́nnou	τοῖν Φῐ́ννοιν toîn Phĭ́nnoin	τῶν Φῐ́ννων tôn Phĭ́nnōn
Dative	τῷ Φῐ́ννῳ tōî Phĭ́nnōi	τοῖν Φῐ́ννοιν toîn Phĭ́nnoin	τοῖς Φῐ́ννοις toîs Phĭ́nnois
Accusative	τὸν Φῐ́ννον tòn Phĭ́nnon	τὼ Φῐ́ννω tṑ Phĭ́nnō	τοὺς Φῐ́ννους toùs Phĭ́nnous
Vocative	Φῐ́ννε Phĭ́nne	Φῐ́ννω Phĭ́nnō	Φῐ́ννοι Phĭ́nnoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

Greek: Φίννος (Fínnos)

References

Tacitus G.45-6
James A. H. Murray et al., editors (1884–1928), “Φίννος”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC.
Ptolemy II.11 and III.5
Ptolemy II.11 and III.5