Heimon

Heimon is the genitive singular form of the Finnish noun heimo, which means tribe or clan. The word refers to a social group defined by kinship, shared ancestry, locale, or cultural identity, and it is commonly used in historical, anthropological, or ethnographic contexts.

In Finnish, the genitive singular is used to indicate possession or association with another noun. When heimo is part of a compound phrase, its genitive form heimon marks the relationship to the head noun. Examples include heimon johtajat (the tribe’s leaders) and heimon historia (the tribe’s history). The genitive plural of heimo is heimojen, as in heimojen kulttuuri (the cultures of tribes).

The term is often encountered in discussions of traditional social structures, archaeology, and the study of ethnic groups in Finland and surrounding regions. In everyday language, heimo as a standalone concept may be less common, but the form heimon appears frequently in phrases describing what belongs to or relates to a tribe.

Etymology and related forms reflect Finnish’s broader pattern of noun inflection. Heimo derives from native Finnish roots and participates in the phonological and morphological processes typical of Finno-Ugric languages. The genitive singular suffix -n attaches to the base, producing heimon, while other cases and plural forms extend from the same stem.

See also: Finnish language, heimo (base noun).