Canuck
[kuh-nuhk]
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noun Slang: Sometimes Offensive.
a term used to refer to a Canadian, especially a French Canadian.
Origin of Canuck
1825–35; perhaps ultimately to be identified with kanaka Hawaiian, 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
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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for canuck
Historical Examples of canuck
The Canuck was shot in his cabin and a lover of Kit was held for the crime.
History of Linn County IowaLuther A. Brewer
Why, that Canuck didn't seem to have no more head on him than a hen.
The Landlord at Lion's Head, CompleteWilliam Dean Howells
The love evinced for cottage adornment would have been lost in a passage through the Canuck settlements of the East.
A Summer's OutingCarter H. Harrison
When will the bars be thrown down so that the Canuck and the Yankee can trade as brothers and friends?
A Summer's OutingCarter H. Harrison
Of the two wrestlers, one was a veritable giant of a Canuck, swarthy of skin, hairy-chested.
Riders of the SilencesJohn Frederick
Canuck
noun US and Canadian informal
Word Origin for Canuck
C19: of uncertain origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Canuck
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper