Sami

See also: Appendix:Variations of "sami"

English

Etymology 1

From Northern Sami Sápmi,^[1] from one of the Sami languages, of uncertain origin/meaning, but possibly related to Proto-Balto-Slavic *źémē (“land”). More at Sápmi and Sami.

Alternative forms

Saami, Sámi

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈsɑːmi/, /ˈsæmi/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Rhymes: -ɑːmi, -æmi

Noun

Sami (plural Sami or Samis)

A member of an indigenous Finno-Ugric people of Lapland.
Synonyms: Lapp, (proscribed) Laplander

Translations

member of indigenous people of Lapland

Asturian: lapón (ast) m, lapona (ast) f
Bulgarian: саа́м m (saám)
Chinese:
Mandarin: please add this translation if you can
Danish: same (da) c, lap (da) c, laplænder c
Dutch: Same (nl) m
Esperanto: sameo, sameino (female), lapono, laponino (female)
Faroese: sámi m, lapplendingur m (archaic), lappi m (archaic)
Finnish: saamelainen (fi)
French: Sami (fr) m or f
German: Same (de) m, Samin (de) f
Greek: Σάμι (el) (Sámi)
Hungarian: számi (hu), lapp (hu)
Ido: Lapono (io), Laponiano (io)
Irish: Laplannach m, Sámach m
Italian: sami (it) m, lappone (it) m
Japanese: サーミ人 (Sāmi jin), サーミ (Sāmi)
Latin: sami m, lappo m
Lule Sami: sábme
Macedonian: Ла́понец m (Láponec), Ла́понка f (Láponka)
Northern Sami: sámi, sápmelaš
Norwegian:
Bokmål: same (no) m

Nynorsk: same m
Old English: Finn m
Old Norse: finnr m
Polish: Lapończyk (pl) m, Laponka (pl) f
Portuguese: lapão (pt) m, lapónio (pt) m (Portugal), lapônio (pt) m (Brazil), saami (pt) m or f, sami (pt) m
Russenorsk: filman
Russian: саа́м (ru) m (saám), саа́мка (ru) f (saámka)
Slovak: Laponec m, Laponka f, Saam m, Sám m (rare)
Southern Sami: saemie
Swedish: same (sv) c, samiska (sv) c (female), lapp (sv) c, lapska (sv) c (female)
Tagalog: Lapon
Volapük: Samiyänan

Proper noun

Sami (plural Samis)

The Sami people, collectively.
(countable) Any of the languages of the Sami people.

Translations

any of the languages of the Sami

Armenian: սաամերեն (hy) (saameren), լոպարերեն (hy) (lopareren)
Asturian: lapón (ast) m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 薩米語 / 萨米语 (Sàmǐ yǔ)
Danish: samisk n
Dutch: Samisch (nl)
Esperanto: samea (la samea, la samea lingvo, la sameaj lingvoj), lapona (la lapona, la lapona lingvo, la laponaj lingvoj)
Estonian: saami (et)
Faroese: sámiskt n, lapplendskt n, lappiskt n
Finnish: saame (fi), saamen kieli
French: same (fr), sami (fr) m, lapon (fr) m
German: Samisch (de) n, Sami (de) n, Saami (de) n, Lappisch (de) n
Greek: Σάμι (el) (Sámi)
Hungarian: számi (hu), lapp (hu)
Ido: Laponiana (io)
Ingrian: saami
Irish: Laplainnis f, Sáimis f
Italian: sami (it), lappone (it) m
Japanese: サーミ語 (ja) (Sāmi-go)
Korean: 사미어 (Sami-eo)
Lule Sami: sámegiella
Macedonian: ла́понски m (láponski)
Northern Sami: sámegiella, sápmi, davvisámegiella (Northern Sami)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: samisk (no) m

Nynorsk: samisk m
Polish: język lapoński
Portuguese: lapão (pt) m, lapónio (pt) m (Portugal), lapônio (pt) m (Brazil), sami (pt) m
Russian: са́амский язы́к m (sáamskij jazýk)
Skolt Sami: sääʹmǩiõll
Slovak: lapončina f, saamčina f, sámčina f
Spanish: sami m
Swedish: samiska (sv)
Tagalog: Lapon
West Frisian: Samysk

Adjective

Sami (not comparable)

Relating to the Sami people of northern Scandinavia, or the Sami languages.

Derived terms

Translations

relating to the Sami people or languages

Chinese:
Mandarin: please add this translation if you can
Dutch: Samisch (nl)
Esperanto: samea, lapona
Estonian: saami (et)
Finnish: saamelainen (fi)
French: sami (fr), same (fr), lapon (fr)
German: samisch (de), lappisch (de)
Hungarian: számi (hu), lapp (hu)
Ido: Lapona (io), Laponiana (io)
Irish: Laplannach, Sámach (people), Laplainnise, Sáimise (language)
Northern Sami: sámi
Norwegian:
Bokmål: samisk (no)

Nynorsk: samisk
Old Norse: finnskr
Portuguese: sami (pt) m, lapão (pt) m, lapônio (pt) m
Swedish: samisk (sv), lapsk (sv)
Tagalog: Lapon
Volapük: Samiyänik
West Frisian: Samysk

Etymology 2

Derived from Arabic سَامِي (sāmī), from the informal pronunciation of سَامٍ (sāmin, “high, exalted”).

Pronunciation

Proper noun

Sami

A male given name from Arabic, feminine equivalent Samiyah.

Translations

male given name

Arabic: سَامِي (ar) (sāmī)
Azerbaijani: Sami
Kurdish:
Northern Kurdish: Samî (ku) m
Persian: سامی (fa) (sâmi)
Tajik: Сомӣ (Somi)
Turkish: Sami (tr)
Urdu: سامی (sāmī)

Etymology 3

From Samantha.

Proper noun

Sami (plural Samis)

A diminutive of the female given name Samantha.

Etymology 4

Borrowed from Tamil சாமி (cāmi).

Noun

Sami (plural Samis)

Alternative form of swami.

References

^ James A. H. Murray et al., editors (1884–1928), “Sami”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC.

Anagrams

AMIs, Amis, ISAM, Isam, M'sia, MIAs, Masi, Mias, Siam, Sima, aims, saim, siam, sima

Albanian

Etymology

Derived from Arabic سَامٍ (sāmin, “high, elevated”).

Proper noun

Sami m

a male given name

Azerbaijani

Other scripts
Cyrillic		Сами
Abjad		سامی

Etymology

Derived from Arabic سَامٍ (sāmin, “high, elevated”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [sɑˈmi]

Proper noun

Sami (definite accusative Samini, plural Samilər)

a male given name from Arabic, feminine equivalent Samiyə

Declension

Declension of *Sami*
	singular	plural
nominative	Sami	Samilər
definite accusative	Samini	Samiləri
dative	Samiyə	Samilərə
locative	Samidə	Samilərdə
ablative	Samidən	Samilərdən
definite genitive	Saminin	Samilərin

Possessive forms of *Sami*
	nominative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	Samim	Samilərim
sənin (“your”)	Samin	Samilərin
onun (“his/her/its”)	Samisi	Samiləri
bizim (“our”)	Samimiz	Samilərimiz
sizin (“your”)	Saminiz	Samiləriniz
onların (“their”)	Samisi or Samiləri	Samiləri

	accusative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	Samimi	Samilərimi
sənin (“your”)	Samini	Samilərini
onun (“his/her/its”)	Samisini	Samilərini
bizim (“our”)	Samimizi	Samilərimizi
sizin (“your”)	Saminizi	Samilərinizi
onların (“their”)	Samisini or Samilərini	Samilərini

	dative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	Samimə	Samilərimə
sənin (“your”)	Saminə	Samilərinə
onun (“his/her/its”)	Samisinə	Samilərinə
bizim (“our”)	Samimizə	Samilərimizə
sizin (“your”)	Saminizə	Samilərinizə
onların (“their”)	Samisinə or Samilərinə	Samilərinə

	locative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	Samimdə	Samilərimdə
sənin (“your”)	Samində	Samilərində
onun (“his/her/its”)	Samisində	Samilərində
bizim (“our”)	Samimizdə	Samilərimizdə
sizin (“your”)	Saminizdə	Samilərinizdə
onların (“their”)	Samisində or Samilərində	Samilərində

	ablative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	Samimdən	Samilərimdən
sənin (“your”)	Samindən	Samilərindən
onun (“his/her/its”)	Samisindən	Samilərindən
bizim (“our”)	Samimizdən	Samilərimizdən
sizin (“your”)	Saminizdən	Samilərinizdən
onların (“their”)	Samisindən or Samilərindən	Samilərindən

	genitive
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	Samimin	Samilərimin
sənin (“your”)	Saminin	Samilərinin
onun (“his/her/its”)	Samisinin	Samilərinin
bizim (“our”)	Samimizin	Samilərimizin
sizin (“your”)	Saminizin	Samilərinizin
onların (“their”)	Samisinin or Samilərinin	Samilərinin

Finnish

Etymology

A diminutive of Samuel and Samuli, with formal given name status since the latter half of the 20th century.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈsɑmi/, [ˈs̠ɑ̝mi]
Rhymes: -ɑmi
Syllabification^(key): Sa‧mi
Hyphenation^(key): Sa‧mi

Proper noun

Sami

a male given name
- 2014, Antti Holma, Järjestäjä, Otava, →ISBN, page 46:
  Daniel hänen nimensä oli. Tietenkin. Ei hän olisi voinut olla Jani tai Sami. Janit ovat kännykkäkaupassa töissä. Samitkin ovat kännykkäkaupassa töissä, mutta esimiesasemassa.
  Daniel was his name. Of course. He couldn't be a Jani or Sami. Janis work at mobile phone shops, and Samis too but as managers.

Usage notes

Popular in Finland in the 1970s and the 1980s.

Declension

Inflection of Sami (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
nominative		Sami	Samit
genitive		Samin	Samien
partitive		Samia	Sameja
illative		Samiin	Sameihin
		singular	plural
nominative		Sami	Samit
accusative	nom.	Sami	Samit
accusative	gen.	Samin	Samit
genitive		Samin	Samien
partitive		Samia	Sameja
inessive		Samissa	Sameissa
elative		Samista	Sameista
illative		Samiin	Sameihin
adessive		Samilla	Sameilla
ablative		Samilta	Sameilta
allative		Samille	Sameille
essive		Samina	Sameina
translative		Samiksi	Sameiksi
abessive		Samitta	Sameitta
instructive		—	Samein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of Sami (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		Samini	Samini
accusative	nom.	Samini	Samini
accusative	gen.	Samini	Samini
genitive		Samini	Samieni
partitive		Samiani	Samejani
inessive		Samissani	Sameissani
elative		Samistani	Sameistani
illative		Samiini	Sameihini
adessive		Samillani	Sameillani
ablative		Samiltani	Sameiltani
allative		Samilleni	Sameilleni
essive		Saminani	Sameinani
translative		Samikseni	Sameikseni
abessive		Samittani	Sameittani
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	Sameineni

second-person singular possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		Samisi	Samisi
accusative	nom.	Samisi	Samisi
accusative	gen.	Samisi	Samisi
genitive		Samisi	Samiesi
partitive		Samiasi	Samejasi
inessive		Samissasi	Sameissasi
elative		Samistasi	Sameistasi
illative		Samiisi	Sameihisi
adessive		Samillasi	Sameillasi
ablative		Samiltasi	Sameiltasi
allative		Samillesi	Sameillesi
essive		Saminasi	Sameinasi
translative		Samiksesi	Sameiksesi
abessive		Samittasi	Sameittasi
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	Sameinesi

first-person plural possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		Samimme	Samimme
accusative	nom.	Samimme	Samimme
accusative	gen.	Samimme	Samimme
genitive		Samimme	Samiemme
partitive		Samiamme	Samejamme
inessive		Samissamme	Sameissamme
elative		Samistamme	Sameistamme
illative		Samiimme	Sameihimme
adessive		Samillamme	Sameillamme
ablative		Samiltamme	Sameiltamme
allative		Samillemme	Sameillemme
essive		Saminamme	Sameinamme
translative		Samiksemme	Sameiksemme
abessive		Samittamme	Sameittamme
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	Sameinemme

second-person plural possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		Saminne	Saminne
accusative	nom.	Saminne	Saminne
accusative	gen.	Saminne	Saminne
genitive		Saminne	Samienne
partitive		Samianne	Samejanne
inessive		Samissanne	Sameissanne
elative		Samistanne	Sameistanne
illative		Samiinne	Sameihinne
adessive		Samillanne	Sameillanne
ablative		Samiltanne	Sameiltanne
allative		Samillenne	Sameillenne
essive		Saminanne	Sameinanne
translative		Samiksenne	Sameiksenne
abessive		Samittanne	Sameittanne
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	Sameinenne

third-person possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		Saminsa	Saminsa
accusative	nom.	Saminsa	Saminsa
accusative	gen.	Saminsa	Saminsa
genitive		Saminsa	Samiensa
partitive		Samiaan Samiansa	Samejaan Samejansa
inessive		Samissaan Samissansa	Sameissaan Sameissansa
elative		Samistaan Samistansa	Sameistaan Sameistansa
illative		Samiinsa	Sameihinsa
adessive		Samillaan Samillansa	Sameillaan Sameillansa
ablative		Samiltaan Samiltansa	Sameiltaan Sameiltansa
allative		Samilleen Samillensa	Sameilleen Sameillensa
essive		Saminaan Saminansa	Sameinaan Sameinansa
translative		Samikseen Samiksensa	Sameikseen Sameiksensa
abessive		Samittaan Samittansa	Sameittaan Sameittansa
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	Sameineen Sameinensa

Related terms

Statistics

Sami is the 16^th most common male given name in Finland, belonging to 26,241 male individuals (and as a middle name to 1,453 more), and also belongs to 8 female individuals (and as a middle name to 8 more), according to February 2023 data from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency of Finland.

Anagrams

Siam, amis, masi, siam, sima

French

Alternative forms

Saame, Saami, Sâme, Sámi

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /sa.mi/

Noun

Sami m (plural Samis, feminine Samie)

Sami
Synonym: Lapon

Related terms

same

Turkish

Etymology 1

Inherited from Ottoman Turkish سامی (Sâmî), from Borrowed from Arabic سَامِيّ (sāmiyy, “Semitic, Semite”).

Noun

Sami

Semite

Etymology 2

Inherited from Ottoman Turkish سامی (Sâmî), from Derived from Arabic سَامٍ (sāmin, “high, elevated”).

Proper noun

Sami

a male given name from Arabic, feminine equivalent Samiye

[1] James A. H. Murray et al., editors (1884–1928), “Sami”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC.

[1]

English

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Noun

Translations

Proper noun

Translations

Adjective

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Further reading

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Proper noun

Translations

Etymology 3

Proper noun

Etymology 4

Noun

References

Anagrams

Albanian

Etymology

Proper noun

Azerbaijani

Etymology

Pronunciation

Proper noun

Declension

Finnish

Etymology

Pronunciation

Proper noun

Usage notes

Declension

Related terms

Statistics

Anagrams

French

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Noun

Related terms

Turkish

Etymology 1

Noun

Etymology 2

Proper noun