Algonkin

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A member of a group of Native American peoples who historically inhabited the northeastern region of North America
2. Relating to the Algonquin language family spoken by various tribes in parts of Canada and the United States
3. A term describing both the cultural and linguistic characteristics of the Algonquin peoples and their descendants

Etymology: The name Algonquin comes from a French mouth, but its origin is contested between two Indigenous languages of the northeast. Canadian French speakers used "algonquin" for a people along the Ottawa River, and it was an earlier form, "algoumequin", that gave rise to the modern spelling. Scholars point to two possible sources. One is the Maliseet phrase "elakómkwik", meaning "these are our relatives," which would make the name a self-description of kinship between neighbouring nations. The other is the Mi'kmaq "algoomeaking", meaning "at the place of spearing fish and eels," a place-name that could have been applied to a people or a locality before it spread to the group as a whole. The spelling "algonkin" is simply an alternative form of the same word, with the final vowel dropped. Both spellings reach English through the French coinage rather than directly from any Indigenous language, which is why the name has survived in a form that reflects French pronunciation and orthography.

Synonyms: Algonquin, Algonquian