Finnish

[ fin-ish ]

noun

1. the principal language of Finland, a Uralic language related closely to Estonian and remotely to Hungarian.
2. Finnic.

adjective

1. of or relating to Finland or its inhabitants.
2. Finnic.

Finnish

/ ˈfɪnɪʃ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Finland, the Finns, or their language

noun

1. the official language of Finland, also spoken in Estonia and NW Russia, belonging to the Finno-Ugric family

Other Words From

• an·ti-Finn·ish adjective
• pro-Finn·ish adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Finnish¹

First recorded in 1780–90; Finn + -ish ¹

Example Sentences

Speakers of languages including Estonian and Finnish had the highest match rate of 100%, with the lowest at 70% for speakers of languages including Albanian and Mandarin Chinese.

From Science Daily

Finnish officials later said the incident had been caused by a Chinese container ship dragging its anchor.

From BBC

“From the Finnish perspective, this is a bit strange,” according to Ilmari Kaihko, associate professor of war studies at the Swedish Defence University.

From BBC

TT-Line chief executive Bernard Dwyer said with pack ice expected in the Finnish shipyard town of Rauma in late November, it was important to move Spirit of Tasmania IV to another location.

From BBC

These are ventures — often one-person crusades — that celebrate fast food, Finnish folk art, Skid Row, skateboarding, vertebrate zoology and more.

From Los Angeles Times