Finno-Ugric

[ fin-oh-oo-grik, -yoo- ]

noun

1. the major branch of the Uralic family of languages, subdivided into Finnic, which includes Finnish and Estonian, and Ugric, which includes Hungarian.

adjective

1. of or relating to these languages.

Finno-Ugric

/ ˈfɪnəʊˈuːɡrɪk; -ˈjuː- /

noun

1. a family of languages spoken in Scandinavia, Hungary, and NE Europe, including Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Ostyak, and Vogul: generally regarded as a subfamily of Uralic See also Ural-Altaic

adjective

1. of, relating to, speaking, or belonging to this family of languages

Word History and Origins

Origin of Finno-Ugric¹

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

Small and landlocked, it has a baffling Finno-Ugric language few outsiders master.

From The Guardian

Local experts believe Finns are attracted to Latin due to its grammar and that it’s pronounced much like it is written – a clear similarity to Finnish, a Finno-Ugric language that has no relation to Latin.

From Seattle Times

By contrast, all of Europe has just 4 language families—Indo-European, Finno-Ugric, Basque, and Turkic—with the great majority of Europeans speaking an Indo-European tongue.

From Literature

Both were related to the Finns, spoke Finno-Ugric languages, and had received a modified Cyrillic written language from Russian missionaries in the nineteenth century.

From The New Yorker

Small-town Hungary seemed a bigger challenge: Hungarians are supposedly reserved and formal; I certainly don’t speak their Finno-Ugric tongue; and my looks don’t attract attention.

From New York Times