Editing Udmurts (section)

==Etymology==
The name ''Udmurt'' comes from *{{Lang|mis|odo-mort}} 'meadow people,' where the first part represents the [[Permic]] root *{{Lang|mis|od(o)}}<ref>{{cite web | url=https://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/vasmer/49476/уд | title=уд &#124; это... Что такое уд? }}</ref><!-- Permic --> meaning 'meadow, glade, turf, greenery'. The second part, ''murt'', means 'person' (cf. [[Komi language|Komi]] {{Lang|kv-latn|mort}}, [[Mari language|Mari]] {{Lang|chm-latn|mari}}, [[Mordvinic languages|Mordvin]] ''mirď-''), probably an early borrowing from an [[Iranian languages|Iranian language]] (such as [[Scythian languages|Scythian]]): *{{Lang|xsc|mertä}} or *{{Lang|xsc|martiya}} meaning 'person, man' (cf. Persian {{Lang|fa-latn|mard}}). This, in turn, is thought to have been borrowed from the [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan]] term *{{Lang|inc-latn|maryá-}} 'man', literally 'mortal, one who is bound to die' (< [[Proto-Indo-European|PIE]] {{Lang|ine-x-proto|[[:en:wikt:Appendix:Proto-Indo-European/mer-|mer-]]}} 'to die'), compare [[Old Indic]] {{Lang|mis|márya}}<!-- Old Indic --> 'young warrior' and Old Indic {{Lang|mis|marut}}<!-- Old Indic --> 'chariot warrior', both connected specifically with horses and chariots.<ref>Christopher I. Beckwith. Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present. Princeton: Princeton University Press. 2009. Page 397.</ref> This is supported by a document dated 1557, in which the Udmurts are referred to as ''lugovye lyudi'' 'meadow people', alongside the traditional Russian name {{Lang|ru-latn|otyaki}}.<ref>A.G. Ivanov, "Udmurty – 'Lugovye lyudi'", ''Linguistica Uralica'' Vol. 27, No. 3 (1991), pp. 188–92.</ref>

On the other hand, in the Russian tradition, the name 'meadow people' refers to the inhabitants of the left bank of a river in general. Most relevant in this regard is the recent theory proposed by [[Vladimir Napolskikh|V. V. Napolskikh]] and S. K. Belykh, who suppose that the ethnonym was borrowed from Proto-Iranian entirely: {{Lang|ira-x-proto|anta-marta}} meaning 'resident of outskirts, border zone' (cf. ''[[Antes people|Antes]]'') → Proto-Permic *{{Lang|mis|odə-mort}}<!-- Proto-Permic --> → [[Udmurt language|Udmurt]] {{Lang|udm-latn|udmurt}}.<ref>Белых С. К., Напольских В. В. [http://www.udmurt.info/library/belykh/udmetn.htm Этноним ''удмурт'': исчерпаны ли альтернативы?] ''Linguistica Uralica''. T. 30, № 4. Tallinn, 1994.</ref>

During the course of the [[Russian Empire]], Udmurts have been referred to mainly as ''{{Transliteration|ru|[[Chud]] Otyatskaya}}'' ({{lang|ru|чудь отяцкая}}), '''Otyaks''', '''Wotyaks'''<ref name=müller1776/> or '''Votyaks''', all being exonyms. Today such exonyms are considered offensive by Udmurts themselves and are mainly used against those who have forgotten the Udmurt language. The Udmurts are closely related to [[Komis]] to their north, both linguistically and culturally.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}