Etymology
The word Tungus derives from "Donki" which means "men" in Tungusic languages. It has also been suggested that the word derives from "tungus" which means pig.
Some scholars suggest derivation from the Chinese word Donghu (東胡, "Eastern Barbarians", c.f. Tonggu 通古 = Tungusic). This "chance similarity in modern pronunciation", writes Pulleyblank, "led to the once widely held assumption that the Eastern Hu were Tungusic in language. However, there is little basis for this theory."
Read more about this topic: Tungusic Peoples
Famous quotes containing the word etymology:
“The universal principle of etymology in all languages: words are carried over from bodies and from the properties of bodies to express the things of the mind and spirit. The order of ideas must follow the order of things.”
—Giambattista Vico (1688–1744)
“Semantically, taste is rich and confusing, its etymology as odd and interesting as that of “style.” But while style—deriving from the stylus or pointed rod which Roman scribes used to make marks on wax tablets—suggests activity, taste is more passive.... Etymologically, the word we use derives from the Old French, meaning touch or feel, a sense that is preserved in the current Italian word for a keyboard, tastiera.”
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