Fenni

F4E1N1N1I1

noun

An ancient people of northeastern Europe first described by Cornelius Tacitus in Germania in AD 98. It is unclear whether the Fenni are connected with the present-day Finns.

OriginLatin Fennī ← Old Norse Finnr →
Scrabble 8
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Meanings

nounFenni pl (plural only)
  1. historicalpluralplural onlyAn ancient people of northeastern Europe first described by Cornelius Tacitus in Germania in AD 98. It is unclear whether the Fenni are connected with the present-day Finns.

Origin

  1. Old NorseFinnr“a Sami”
  2. LatinFennī
  3. EnglishFenni

From Latin Fennī; compare Ancient Greek Φίννος (Phínnos). The name as used by Tacitus is unclear about whom it actually describes, but it may nevertheless be from Old Norse Finnr (“a Sami”). More at Fenni.

More words from Latin, Old Norse

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish fenni
  • fennian ancient people
Cite this entry
APA

Fenni. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Fenni

MLA

“Fenni.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Fenni. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Fenni,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Fenni.

Source: Fenni on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.