Métis

[ Canadian mey-tee; mey-tee, -tees ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, plural Mé·tis [mey, -tee, mey, -teez, mey-, tee, -, teez].

Canadian. a person of mixed First Nations and European ancestry: a member of the Métis Nation, recognized constitutionally as one of Canada’s rights-bearing Indigenous peoples.
métis, any person of mixed racial ancestry.

Canadian. belonging or relating to the Métis:
Métis communities developed along the fur trade routes.
métis, being of mixed racial ancestry.

Metis

[ mee-tis ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

, Classical Mythology.

a Titaness, the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys and the mother of Athena by Zeus. Zeus swallowed Metis, and Athena was born from his head.

Métis

/ mɛˈtiːs; mɛˈtiːs /

a person of mixed parentage
1. the offspring or a descendant of a French Canadian and a North American Indian
2. a member or descendant of a group of such people, who established themselves in Manitoba and Saskatchewan as a distinct political and cultural force during the nineteenth century
a person having one eighth Black ancestry; octoroon

Origin of Métis¹

First recorded in 1810–20; from French, Middle French, from Late Latin mixtīcius “of mixed blood”

Origin of Métis¹

C19: from French, from Vulgar Latin mixtīcius (unattested) of mixed race; compare mestizo

Unfortunately the Colonists were not able to use the snowshoe as could the lively Metis.

The Metis soon betook themselves westward to their own district of Qu'Appelle.

Next spring another demonstration was made by the Metis for other demands, but these were refused.

The hot blood of the Metis as he careered over the prairie on his steed boiled up at the least provocation.

Stone forts and ermined judges were not, to the mind of the unbridled and ungovernable Metis.

April 25, 2024firkin

[fur-kin ]

Start each day with the Word of the Day in your inbox!

By clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies.

Browse