Kiowa

American  

[kahy-uh-wuh, -wah, -wey] / ˈkaɪ ə wə, -ˌwɑ, -ˌweɪ /

noun

plural

Kiowas,

plural

Kiowa

1. a member of an Indigenous Great Plains tribe, now living primarily in Oklahoma.

2. the language of the Kiowa, closely related to Tanoan.

---

adjective

1. of or relating to the Kiowa or their language.

Etymology

Origin of Kiowa

First recorded in 1800–10; from Kiowa kɔjgwu “principal people”

Example Sentences

A priest, noticing Pratt’s skillful doodling, bought him art supplies and showed him a collection of work by the Kiowa Five, a renowned group of early 20th-century painters who’d attended the school.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

M. Scott Momaday, in his essay “The Way to Rainy Mountain,” describes his Kiowa grandmother, who “bore an image of deicide.”

From Salon • Sep. 1, 2024

His explorations of identity and self-definition, of the importance of the oral tradition in literature, and of his Kiowa heritage were interwoven with reverent evocations of landscape in passages of soaring lyrical prose.

From New York Times • Jan. 29, 2024

He was born Navarre Scott Mammedaty, in Lawton, Oklahoma, and was a member of the Kiowa Nation.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 29, 2024

Mitchell Sanders finally nodded and said, “Let’s get it done,” and they took hold of the legs and pulled up hard, then pulled again, and after a moment Kiowa came sliding to the surface.

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien