Algonquian

[ al-gong-kee-uhn, -kwee-uhn ]

noun

, plural Al·gon·qui·ans, (especially collectively) Al·gon·qui·an

1. a family of languages spoken now or formerly by North 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 especially Arapaho, Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Cree, Fox, Massachusett, Mi'kmaq, Ojibwe, and Powhatan.
2. a member of an Algonquian-speaking tribe.

adjective

1. of or relating to Algonquian or its speakers.

Algonquian

/ -kwɪ-; ælˈɡɒŋkɪən /

noun

1. a family of North American Indian languages whose speakers ranged over an area stretching from the Atlantic between Newfoundland and Delaware to the Rocky Mountains, including Micmac, Mahican, Ojibwa, Fox, Blackfoot, Cheyenne, and Shawnee. Some linguists relate it to Muskogean in a Macro-Algonquian phylum
2. -ans-an a member of any of the North American Indian peoples that speak one of these languages

adjective

1. denoting, belonging to, or relating to this linguistic family or its speakers

Word History and Origins

Origin of Algonquian¹

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; Algonqui(n) + -an

Example Sentences

These, with the exception of the Winnebago, were Algonquian tribes.

From Project Gutenberg

This is illustrated further by the Musquakies, also belonging to the Algonquian stock.

From Project Gutenberg

It was bounded on the northwest, north, northeast, and for some distance on the east by Algonquian territory.

From Project Gutenberg

Its derivation has been attributed to an Algonquian term signifying "swamp" or "open marshy land."

From Project Gutenberg

The Algonquian believed in a great serpent in the Great Lakes which raised storms, and destroyed canoes.

From Project Gutenberg