1. See Nenets.
2. Any of a breed of medium-sized dog originally developed in northern Eurasia, having a thick, long, white or cream-colored coat.

[Obsolete Russian samoyed (samo-, self; see samovar + -ed, eater), by folk etymology from Lapp sām฿ em฿ne, land of the Sami.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.