Finno

Finno is a linguistic prefix used in academic terminology to indicate relation to the Finnic subgroup of languages associated with Finland and the surrounding region. It commonly appears in compound terms such as Finno-Ugric and Finno-Finnic. When attached to a language or ethnonym, finno- signals that the language or people belong to the Finnic or broader Finno-Ugric grouping rather than to Indo-European families.

The Finnic (also Finno-Finnic) languages include Finnish, Estonian, and several minority languages such as Sami languages; these are grouped within the higher-level Finno-Ugric family, along with Ugric languages like Hungarian. The prefix can be found in scholarly classifications, typology, and comparative studies, and is used by linguists to discuss historical relationships, sound changes, and lexical correspondences among related languages. The origin of the form is linked to the ethnonym Finn, which appears in medieval and early modern sources referring to populations in the Baltic region.

In addition to its linguistic use, Finno may occur as a surname or given name in various cultures, though it is not a common or standardized naming convention. The term is not widely used outside academic contexts to refer to people or places, and it should not be mistaken for the ethnonym Finn or the country Finland in everyday usage.

See also Finno-Ugric languages, Finnic languages, Finn (ethnonym), Finnish language.