Catawba

[ kuh-taw-buh ]

/ kəˈtɔ bə /

Save This Word!

noun

a Siouan language of North and South Carolina.

a river flowing from W North Carolina into South Carolina, where it becomes the Wateree River.Compare Wateree.

Horticulture.

a reddish variety of grape.
the vine bearing this fruit, grown in the eastern U.S.

a light, dry, white wine made from this grape.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of Catawba

1710–20, Americanism; apparently ultimately <Catawba (yį́) kátapu a village name, literally, (people of) the fork; perhaps via Shawnee kata·pa

Words nearby Catawba

catastrophism, catastrophize, catatonia, catatonic, catawampus, Catawba, catbird, catbird seat, catboat, catbrier, cat-built

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

How to use Catawba in a sentence

The visionary behind it, Nicholas Longworth was convinced Catawba would become the greatest grape in America, possibly the world.
America’s First Great Wine…Made in 1842|Jordan Salcito|November 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I now write from a log cabin situated on the Catawba river, and in one of the most beautiful of valleys.
Letters from the Alleghany Mountains|Charles Lanman
The Catawba laughed, an Indian laugh, silent and suppressed; a mere shaking of the ribs.
The Master of Appleby|Francis Lynde
When we had launched the canoe, and were afloat and ready for the start, the Catawba was still missing.
The Master of Appleby|Francis Lynde

"'Tis the Catawba's arrow," said Jennifer, though how he knew I could not guess; and then he cut the threads to free the scroll.
The Master of Appleby|Francis Lynde
His place was well named for he was a great horticulturist, the first to domesticate the Catawba grape.
A Portrait of Old George Town|Grace Dunlop Ecker

British Dictionary definitions for Catawba

Catawba

/ (kəˈtɔːbə) /

noun

plural -ba or -bas a member of a North American Indian people, formerly of South Carolina, now almost extinct

their language, belonging to the Siouan family

a cultivated variety of red North American grape, widely grown in the eastern US

the wine made from these grapes

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