Mustlased

[zubird]

i was reading the Wikipedia entry on the Roma and noticed that while most of the versions in other languages were titled some version of the form "Roma", the Estonian one was titled "Mustlased". where does this word come from? it doesn't look like a cognate of any of the other common words in European languages for 'gypsy', either. i'm curious

Comments

[henkkuli]

Fennophone here. I know that "mustalaiset" means "the black ones" in Finnish, so that might be what it means in Estonian, too.

[bookmal]

It does mean "black people" or "dark people" in Estonian too, supposedly named after their darker complexion.
Btw, there is another word for them in Finnish - Romanit, but not in Estonian.

[zubird]

thanks to both of you. ;) nothing like "Roma" is used at all in Estonian? weird. well, i don't suppose there are many Roma in Estonia anyhow.

[wiped]

there was a considerable population of roma in estonia, but the vast majority were murdered by the nazis and the remaining population (around 1000-1500, give or take) still faces a lot of racism and is therefore not a very visable minority.