Samoyed

American  

[sam-uh-yed, suh-moi-id] / ˌsæm əˈyɛd, səˈmɔɪ ɪd /

noun

1. a member of a Uralic people dwelling in W Siberia and the far NE parts of European Russia.

2. Also a subfamily of Uralic languages spoken by the Samoyed people.

3. (sometimes lowercase) one of a Russian breed of medium-sized dogs that have long, dense, white or cream hair and are used by the Samoyed people for herding reindeer and pulling sleds.

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Samoyed British  

/ ˌsæməˈjɛd /

noun

1. a member of a group of peoples who migrated along the Russian Arctic coast and now live chiefly in the area of the N Urals: related to the Finns

2. the languages of these peoples, related to Finno-Ugric within the Uralic family

3. a Siberian breed of dog of the spitz type, having a dense white or cream coat with a distinct ruff, and a tightly curled tail

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Other Word Forms

• Samoyedic adjective

Etymology

Origin of Samoyed

First recorded in 1580–90, Samoyed is from the Russian word samoyéd

Example Sentences

She had a team of pure white Samoyeds, fifteen of them.

From Literature

Striker the Samoyed stole the show at last year’s Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, only to lose in the final round.

From New York Times

“He never has a bad day”: The Times’s Sarah Lyall visited Striker, a Samoyed who was a crowd favorite at last year’s show.

From New York Times

Striker, a blindingly white Samoyed, will never know that he did not take the top spot in last year’s Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

From New York Times

Trumpet beat a French bulldog, a German shepherd, a Maltese, an English setter, a Samoyed and a Lakeland terrier to take the trophy in the 146th Westminster.

From Washington Times