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• Choctaw
  Choctaw

  noun

  a member of a large Muskhogean tribe of North American Indians, formerly living chiefly in southern Mississippi, now in Oklahoma.
• choctaw
  choctaw

  noun

  skating a turn from the inside edge of one skate to the outside edge of the other or vice versa

Choctaw

American  

[chok-taw] / ˈtʃɒk tɔ /

noun

• Choctaws,
  plural
• Choctaw
  plural

1. a member of a large Muskhogean tribe of North American Indians, formerly living chiefly in southern Mississippi, now in Oklahoma.

2. the language of the Choctaw, closely related to Chickasaw.

3. Informal: Offensive. something unintelligible, as speech, illegible handwriting, or an ineffectual explanation; gibberish.

   My best efforts at clarity were Choctaw to him.

4. Figure Skating. choctaw, a type of turn that changes the skater’s orientation in either direction, from skating forward to backward or backward to forward, with a change of foot from right to left or left to right, and a change of edge from outside to inside or inside to outside.

   The quickstep compulsory dance requires a choctaw from the forward outside edge of the skating foot to the backward inside edge of the other foot.

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adjective

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

Choctaw ¹ British  

/ ˈtʃɒktɔː /

noun

1. a member of a Native American people of Alabama

2. the language of this people, belonging to the Muskogean family

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choctaw ² British  

/ ˈtʃɒktɔː /

noun

1. skating a turn from the inside edge of one skate to the outside edge of the other or vice versa

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Choctaw
  plural
• Choctaws
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of Choctaw

First recorded in 1720–30; from Choctaw chahta, a self-designation of unknown meaning

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Choctaw Choctaws

Titled “the space in which to place me,” the show is a mini-survey of the rapturous art of the queer Choctaw and Cherokee artist Jeffrey Gibson.

From New York Times ● Apr. 13, 2024

Margaret McMurtrey, a graduate student at UC Santa Barbara, who is an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, said she was “disappointed” in Gross’ response.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 3, 2024

The Benedict family, who have roots in the Choctaw Nation, welcomed discussions and questions of gender and identity, the Independent reported.

From Salon ● Feb. 22, 2024

In Marvel’s latest live-action series, “Echo,” she plays Bonnie, the cousin of its title character, who is an antihero from the Choctaw tribe played by Menominee actor Alaqua Cox.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 12, 2024

The people of these “mound builder” civilizations dispersed before the European invasion, but we know their descendants today as the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee Creek, and Natchez Nations of the Southeast.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Ron Cratenhad had a 17-yard touchdown run in the first quarter for the Choctaws.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 24, 2022

As in the Carolinas, the French settlers could not defeat these enemies alone, but used lavish presents to get help from the Choctaws.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 18, 2018

Somehow, somewhere in Louisiana, a few Choctaws escaped and traveled south, mingling with white settlers and members of other tribes, mixing their traditions with new practices picked up on the coast.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 11, 2017

Dollar General, also backed by six states and industry groups that do business on tribal lands, warned that a rush of lawsuits in tribal court could result from a decision favoring the Mississippi Choctaws.

From US News ● Dec. 7, 2015

Before leaving Vincennes, Tecumseh informed Harrison that he was traveling south to bring the Creeks, Choctaws, and Chickasaws into the alliance.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

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