rootsi

Rootsi is the Estonian exonym for the country of Sweden. It is used in standard Estonian to refer to Sweden in geographic, political, and cultural contexts. As an exonym, Rootsi is typically capitalized when referring to the country as a proper noun: for example, Rootsi kuningriik (the Kingdom of Sweden). The term also appears in compound expressions such as Rootsi keel for the Swedish language and rootslased for Swedes, a demonym formed from Rootsi with the suffix -lased that denotes people. In historical and contemporary texts, Rootsi appears in discussions of Nordic relations, trade, and migration, reflecting longstanding contacts between Estonia and Sweden. The Estonian language contains several exonyms for neighboring states, and Rootsi is among the most widely used for Sweden. Usage notes: in modern Estonian, the exonym helps distinguish the country from its neighbors and participates in standard orthography like other country names. See also: Estonian language, Exonym, List of country names in Estonian.