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algonquian

 - 2 dictionary results

Al⋅gon⋅qui⋅an

  [al-gong-kee-uhn, -kwee-uhn] noun, plural -ans, (especially collectively) -an for 2, adjective
Use algonquian in a Sentence
–noun
1. a family of languages spoken now or formerly by American Indians in an area extending from Labrador westward to the Rocky Mountains, west-southwestward through Michigan and Illinois, and southwestward along the Atlantic coast to Cape Hatteras, including esp. Arapaho, Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Cree, Fox, Massachusett, Micmac, Ojibwa, and Powhatan. Compare family (def. 14).
2. a member of an Algonquian-speaking tribe.
–adjective
3. of or pertaining to Algonquian or its speakers.
Also, Algonkian, Algonkin, Algonquin.

Origin:
1885–90, Americanism; Algonqui(n) + -an
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To algonquian
Al·gon·qui·an   (āl-gŏng'kwē-ən, -kē-ən)   
n.   pl. Algonquian or Al·gon·qui·ans also Algonkian or Al·gon·ki·ans

  1. A family of North American Indian languages spoken or formerly spoken in an area from Labrador to the Carolinas between the Atlantic coast and the Rocky Mountains.

  2. A member of a people traditionally speaking an Algonquian language.


[From Algonquin.]
Al·gon'qui·an adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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