endonym

[ en-duh-nim ]

noun

, Anthropology.

1. Also called autonym. the name that an ethnic, racial, or social group uses for itself or its language, such as Schwyzerdütsch for Swiss German. Compare exonym ( def 2 ), ethnonym ( def ).
2. the name used to refer to a place by its inhabitants, as opposed to a name used by foreigners: Compare exonym ( def 1 ).

   In the 1920s, Reza Shah requested that the West call his country by its endonym “Iran,” rather than “Persia.”

Other Words From

• en·do·nym·ic [en-d, uh, -, nim, -ik], en·don·y·mous [en-, don, -, uh, -m, uh, s], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of endonym¹

First recorded in 1970–75; end(o)- ( def ) + -onym ( def )