Editing Samogitia (section)

==Etymology and alternative names==
The region is primarily referred to by its Lithuanian name, ''Žemaitija'', in both local and national contexts. The [[Latin language|Latin]]-derived term Samogitia, once widely used in historical sources, largely fell out of common administrative and colloquial use in the 19th century. The name Žemaitija, derived from the Lithuanian words ''žemas'' ("low") and ''žemė'' ("land"), translates to "lowlands," reflecting the region’s geographical characteristics. While Samogitia persists in historical and academic discussions, it is considered an archaic exonym in modern contexts, with Žemaitija remaining the standard designation.<ref name="Suziedelis2011">{{cite book|author=Saulius A. Suziedelis|title=Historical Dictionary of Lithuania|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VkGB1CSfIlEC&pg=PA263|date=7 February 2011|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-7536-4|page=263}}</ref>

[[Ruthenian language|Ruthenian]] sources mentioned the region as жемотьская земля, ''Žemot'skaja zemlja''; this gave rise to its [[Polish language|Polish]] form, {{lang|pl|Żmudź}}, and probably to the [[Middle High German]] {{lang|gmh|Sameiten, Samaythen}}. In Latin texts, the name is usually written as {{lang|la|Samogitia, Samogetia}}, etc.<ref name="circum">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CsesLE3efLwC&q=samogitia+lower+lithuania&pg=PA42 |page=42 |title=The Circum-Baltic Languages: Typology and Contact |author=[[Östen Dahl]], [[Maria Koptjevskaja-Tamm]] |publisher=[[John Benjamins Publishing Company]] |year=2001 |isbn=978-90-272-3057-7}}</ref> The region is also known in English as Lower Lithuania or, in reference to its [[Yiddish]] names, {{lang|yi|זאַמעט}} {{Transliteration|yi|Zamet}} or {{lang|yi|זאַמוט}} {{Transliteration|yi|Zamut}}.<ref name="circum" /><ref name="O'Connor2006">{{cite book |author=Kevin O'Connor |title=Culture and customs of the Baltic states |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8Dl2i1Fkd_cC&pg=PA231 |access-date=5 March 2011 |year=2006 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-313-33125-1 |pages=231}}</ref><ref name="LorenzWeinberger1994">{{cite book |author1=Dagmar C. G. Lorenz |author2=Gabriele Weinberger |title=Insiders and outsiders: Jewish and Gentile culture in Germany and Austria |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FnWGR4ijGbAC&pg=PA91 |access-date=5 March 2011 |year=1994 |publisher=Wayne State University Press |isbn=978-0-8143-2497-4 |page=91}}</ref><ref name="SchoenburgSchoenburg1996">{{cite book|author1=Nancy Schoenburg|author2=Stuart Schoenburg|title=Lithuanian Jewish Communities|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NF17_BdrjQEC&pg=PA502|year=1996|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-56821-993-6|page=502}}</ref>