endonym

[ en-duh-nim ]

nounAnthropology.
  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.

  2. the name used to refer to a place by its inhabitants, as opposed to a name used by foreigners: In the 1920s, Reza Shah requested that the West call his country by its endonym “Iran,” rather than “Persia.”: Compare exonym (def. 1).

Origin of endonym

1
First recorded in 1970–75; end(o)- + -onym

Other words from endonym

  • en·do·nym·ic [en-duh-nim-ik], /ˌɛn dəˈnɪm ɪk/, en·don·y·mous [en-don-uh-muhs], /ˌɛnˈdɒn ə məs/, adjective

Words Nearby endonym

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024