Name
The Adyghe people call and distinguish themselves from other peoples of the Caucasus by the name Attéghéi or Adyghe.
The usual etymology presented for the name is Circassian atté "height" to signify a mountaineer or a highlander, and ghéi "sea", signifying "a people dwelling and inhabiting a mountainous country, a region near the sea coast, or between two seas".
A common exonym for the Adyghe is Circassians, a term which occasionally applied to a broader group of peoples in the North Caucasus. The name Circassian is of Italian origin and came from the medieval Genoese merchants and travelers who first gave currency to the name.
The exonym Cherkess is applied to the Adyghe by the Turkic peoples (principally Kyrgyz, Tatar and Turkish) and the Russians. The name Cherkess was usually explained to mean "Warrior Cutter" or "Soldier Cutter" from the Turkic words: cheri (soldier) and kesmek (to cut), so that Cherkess - a synonym for a soldier cutter. By others, the name is supposed to refer to the predatory habits among Adyghe tribes and Abazin. The Russians gave the collective name of Cherkess to all the mountaineers of Circassia who are divided into many tribes.
Read more about this topic: Circassian People
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