tziganologist
Aug. 27th, 2008 07:31 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
prettygoodwordtziganologist - n., someone who studies Hungarian gypsies.
Or so one source -- others claim gypsies in general. The name used for the Roma through much of central Europe is the cigány (pronounced tzigany), which comes from Hungarian and so might be the source of the confusion. Wikipedia reports that it has been suggested the Hungarian word was derived from the Byzantine term Aτσίγγανοι (Atsinganoi), from Greek αθίγγανοι (athinganoi) literally "untouchables." The modern Greek term τσιγγάνοι (tsinganoi) seems to be the source for the -ology.
---L.
Or so one source -- others claim gypsies in general. The name used for the Roma through much of central Europe is the cigány (pronounced tzigany), which comes from Hungarian and so might be the source of the confusion. Wikipedia reports that it has been suggested the Hungarian word was derived from the Byzantine term Aτσίγγανοι (Atsinganoi), from Greek αθίγγανοι (athinganoi) literally "untouchables." The modern Greek term τσιγγάνοι (tsinganoi) seems to be the source for the -ology.
---L.
