tungus

Tungus is a historical exonym with several related usages tied to Siberia. In ethnography, "Tungus" has been used to refer to Tungusic-speaking peoples, especially the Evenki (Evenk), and more broadly to groups within the Tungusic language family. In modern scholarship the term is considered outdated in many contexts and is often replaced by specific ethnonyms such as Evenki, Nanai, Oroqen, and Udege.

Geographically, the word is linked to the Tunguska region of central Siberia. It appears in the name of the Podkamennaya Tunguska River and surrounding areas. The most famous association is the 1908 Tunguska event, a large airburst that caused extensive forest destruction in the region near the Tunguska River, yet left no crater. The event is one of the most studied meteor events in history and is named after the Tunguska locality.

In linguistics, "Tungus" has appeared as an older label for the Tungusic language family. Contemporary usage favors the term "Tungusic" to describe the language group, with individual languages identified by name rather than a broad umbrella label.

There is no widely recognized nation or political entity known as Tungus. In historical texts and maps, the term may appear in reference to peoples or places associated with the Tunguska region, but its current usage is largely confined to historical or descriptive contexts. Overall, Tungus is predominantly of historical interest and is less used in contemporary anthropology and geography.