Canuck

[ kuh-nuhk ]

/ kəˈnʌk /

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noun Slang: Sometimes Offensive.

a term used to refer to a Canadian, especially a French Canadian.

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Origin of Canuck

1825–35; perhaps ultimately to be identified with kanakaHawaiian, South Sea islander (<Hawaiian; see kanaka), if the word once identified both French Canadians and such islanders, who both were employed in the Pacific Northwest fur trade; later reanalyzed as Can(adian) + a suffix

usage note for Canuck

The term Canuck is perceived as insulting when used by non-Canadians or when referring specifically to French Canadians. But among Canadians, it is sometimes used as a neutral nickname or term of self-reference.

Words nearby Canuck

Cantuar., cantus, cantus firmus, can't wait, canty, Canuck, canula, Canute, canvas, canvasback, canvas duck

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Canuck in a sentence

He is a great big red-haired man, and he hangs around that restaurant that is run by a man called Joe Canuck.
The Ranger Boys and the Border Smugglers|Claude A. Labelle
The Canuck felt perhaps the simpler joy that the average man has in any strange notion that he is able to grasp.
The Landlord at Lion's Head, Complete|William Dean Howells
The little Canuck, as if he had now no further concern in the matter, sat down in a corner and smoked silently.
The Landlord at Lion's Head, Complete|William Dean Howells
The little Canuck was the only one who suffered himself a contemporaneous consolation.
The Landlord at Lion's Head, Complete|William Dean Howells

Jeff lighted for himself the cigar the Canuck had refused, and smoked down upon the little man.
The Landlord at Lion's Head, Complete|William Dean Howells

British Dictionary definitions for Canuck

Canuck

/ (kəˈnʌk) /

noun US and Canadian informal

a Canadian
(formerly) esp a French Canadian

Word Origin for Canuck

C19: of uncertain origin

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