Eskimo
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Alternative spellings
[edit] Etymology
First attested 1584, as Esquimawes. From Danish Eskimo, from French plural Esquimaux (possibly from Spanish esquimao or esquimal), from the Algonquin language Montagnais ayas̆kimew. This was once thought to mean "eaters of raw meat", but most authorities now believe it signifies either "netters of snowshoes" or "speakers of a foreign language". Compare Ojibwe as̆kime (“‘to net snowshoes’”). The name was originally applied by the Innu people to the Mi'kmaq, and later transferred to the Labrador Inuit; see usage notes.
[edit] Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈɛs.kɪ.moʊ/
- Hyphenation: Es‧kimo
[edit] Proper noun
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Singular |
Plural |
Eskimo
- A group of indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic, from Siberia, through Alaska and Northern Canada, to Greenland, including the Inuit and Yupik.
- Any of the languages of the Eskimo.
[edit] Synonyms
- Inuit (but see usage notes)
[edit] Translations
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[edit] Noun
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Singular |
Plural |
Eskimo (plural Eskimo or Eskimos)
- A member of any of the Eskimo peoples.
[edit] Translations
[edit] Adjective
Eskimo (comparative more Eskimo, superlative most Eskimo)
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Positive |
Comparative |
Superlative |
- Of or relating to the Eskimo peoples.
- In, of, or relating to the Eskimo languages.
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Translations
[edit] Usage notes
Eskimo has come to be considered offensive, especially in Canada. However, it remains an acceptable term for northern peoples in Alaska—including the Inuit Inupiat and the non-Inuit Yupik—and the only encompassing term for all of these Arctic peoples. It is also used worldwide by historians and archaeologists.
The name declined in use because it was thought to stem from a Cree pejorative meaning “eaters of raw meat” rather than from the Inuit people's name for themselves, but this etymology is now discredited (in fact, both the Cree and Inuit ate raw meat).
In Canada, Eskimo has been superseded by Inuit for the people, which name has official status, and Inuktitut for the language. The Inuit group of Canada's Western Arctic call themselves Inuvialuit. Greenland natives also call themselves Greenlanders or Kalaallit, and their language Greenlandic or Kalaallisut.
Also note that Eskimo does not include the related Aleut people (Unangam), nor the Indian or First Nations peoples of the Arctic.
[edit] References
- “Eskimo” in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006.
- “Eskimo” in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, Second Edition, Oxford University Press, 2004.
- “Eskimo” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, v1.1, Lexico Publishing Group, 2006.
- “Eskimo” in the The New Oxford American Dictionary, Second Edition, Oxford University Press, 2005
- “Eskimo” in the Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper, 2001
- “Eskimo” and “Origin of the name Eskimo” in Wikipedia
[edit] Anagrams
[edit] Dutch
[edit] Etymology
From French Esquimau (now also Eskimo as well) (possibly from Spanish esquimao or esquimal), from the Algonquin language Montagnais ayas̆kimew. This was once thought to mean "eaters of raw meat", but most authorities now believe it signifies either "netters of snowshoes" (compare Ojibwe as̆kime (“‘to net snowshoes’”)) or "speakers of a foreign language".
[edit] Proper noun
Eskimo
[edit] Derived terms
- eskimo n. & adjective
[edit] French
[edit] Alternative forms
[edit] Proper noun
m.
[edit] Derived terms
- eskimo (adjective)
