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Rom·a·ni or Rom·a·ny

(rŏmə-nē, rōmə-, rämə-)

n. pl. Romani or Rom·a·nis also Romany or Rom·a·nies

1. A member of a people that arrived in Europe in migrations from northern India around the 14th century, now also living in the Americas and Australia. Many Romani groups have preserved elements of their traditional culture, including an itinerant existence and the Romani language. Also called Roma.

2. The Indic language of the Romani.

adj.

Of or relating to the Romani or their language or culture.

[Romani romani, feminine of romano, from rom, man, from Prakrit ḍoma, man of a low caste, of Dravidian origin.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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