Samoyed

UK: /ˌsæməˈjɛd/ US: (sam′ə yed′, sə moi′id)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

Sam•o•yed  (sam′ə yed′, sə moi′id), n. 

1. Language Varieties a member of a Uralic people dwelling in W Siberia and the far NE parts of European Russia.
2. Language Varieties Also, Samoyedic. a subfamily of Uralic languages spoken by the Samoyed people.
3. Dog and Cat Breeds (sometimes l.c.) one of a Russian breed of medium-sized dogs that have long, dense, white or cream hair and are used by the Samoyed people for herding reindeer and pulling sleds.

• Russian samoyéd
• 1580–90

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Samoyed / ˌsæməˈjɛd/ noun

1. ( -yed, -yeds) a member of a group of peoples who migrated along the Russian Arctic coast and now live chiefly in the area of the N Urals: related to the Finns
2. the languages of these peoples, related to Finno-Ugric within the Uralic family
3. / səˈmɔɪɛd/ a Siberian breed of dog of the spitz type, having a dense white or cream coat with a distinct ruff, and a tightly curled tail

Etymology: 17th Century: from Russian Samoed