Definition

Noun 1. A member of a Finnish people living in the northwestern Urals in Russia: The Komi are an indigenous Finno-Ugric ethnic group. 2. The Finnic language spoken by the Komi people: Komi refers to the language of this ethnic group, which belongs to the Permic branch of the Uralic language family.

Usage Examples

• As an ethnic group (Noun):
  • The Komi have a rich cultural heritage of reindeer herding and wood carving.
  • A delegation of Komi attended the conference on indigenous rights.
• As a language (Noun):
  • She is conducting research on the grammar of the Komi language.
  • The children learn Komi and Russian in school.

Advanced Usage

• The term Komi can be used attributively (like an adjective) to describe things related to the people or their language.
  • We studied Komi folklore.
  • He is a Komi language teacher.

Variants and Related Words

• Komi-Permyak: Refers specifically to a subgroup of the Komi people and their dialect/language, living in the Komi-Permyak Okrug.
• Komi-Zyrian: Refers specifically to another major subgroup of the Komi people and their dialect/language.
• Zyrian: An older, sometimes still used, name for the Komi people and language.

Synonyms

• For the people: Zyrian (historical/alternate).
• For the language: Zyrian (historical/alternate), Komi-Zyrian language.

Notes on Different Meanings

The word "Komi" has two primary, closely related meanings: 1. The ethnonym (name of the people). 2. The glossonym (name of their language). The intended meaning is usually clear from the context (e.g., "the Komi people" vs. "speaking Komi").

Noun

1. the Finnic language spoken by the Komi
2. a member of a Finnish people living in the northwestern Urals in Russia