Cajun

[ key-juhn ]

noun
  1. a member of a group of people with an enduring cultural tradition whose French Catholic ancestors established permanent communities in Louisiana and Maine after being expelled from Acadia in the late 18th century.

  2. the French dialect of the Cajuns.

adjective
  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Cajuns, especially those of Louisiana: Cajun cooking.

Origin of Cajun

1
First recorded in 1865–70; shortening of Acadian; compare Injun for Indian
  • Sometimes Ca·jan .

Words Nearby Cajun

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How to use Cajun in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Cajun

Cajun

/ (ˈkeɪdʒən) /


noun
  1. a native of Louisiana descended from 18th-century Acadian immigrants

  2. the dialect of French spoken by such people

  1. the music of this ethnic group, combining blues and European folk music

adjective
  1. denoting, relating to, or characteristic of such people, their language, or their music

Origin of Cajun

1
C19: alteration of Acadian; compare Injun for Indian

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Cajun

Cajun

[ (kay-juhn) ]


A native of Louisiana believed to be descended from the French exiles from Acadia (see Nova Scotia). Cajuns have maintained a separate culture, including a special dialect and distinctive cooking style.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.