Eskimo
Americannoun
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Sometimes Offensive. a member of a group of Indigenous peoples of Greenland, northern Canada, Alaska, and northeastern Siberia.
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any of the languages of these peoples, divided into two branches: Inuit, spoken in Greenland, Canada, and northern Alaska, and Yupik, spoken in southern Alaska and Siberia.
adjective
noun
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a member of a group of peoples inhabiting N Canada, Greenland, Alaska, and E Siberia, having a material culture adapted to an extremely cold climate
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the language of these peoples
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a family of languages that includes Eskimo and Aleut
adjective
Sensitive Note
The name Inuit, by which the Native people of the Arctic from northern Alaska to western Greenland call themselves, has largely supplanted Eskimo in Canada and is used officially by the Canadian government. Canadians, as well as many Americans (especially Indigenous Alaskans), consider Eskimo derogatory, in part because the word was, erroneously, long thought to mean literally “eater of raw meat.” Inuit , properly a more specific term referring to speakers of the Inuit language, has come to be used in a wider sense to name all people traditionally called Eskimo, regardless of local self-designations. Anthropologically, the term Native American is sometimes used to include these peoples, as well as the Aleuts. However, the term Indian, still commonly used for a number of Indigenous people of the Americas, is not applied to the Inuit, Yupik, and Aleut of Arctic North America. Eskimo continues to be used in certain contexts, especially in historical and archaeological reference to these peoples as a cultural and linguistic group. However, broad use of Eskimo, as in marketing and branding, has largely been rejected, and products, sports teams, or companies that used the word in the past are finding new names.
Usage
Eskimo is considered by many to be offensive, and in North America the term Inuit is usually preferred. Inuit , however, can be accurately applied only to those Aboriginal peoples inhabiting parts of Northern Canada, Alaska, and Greenland (as distinguished from those in Asia or the Aleutian Islands)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of Eskimo
First recorded in 1575–85; from earlier Esqimawe(s), apparently via French (of 16th-century Basque fishermen), from Spanish esquimao(s), from Montagnais ( French spelling) aiachkimeou- a name for the Mi'kmaq, extended or transferred to the Labrador Eskimo among the eastern Montagnais; perhaps literally, “snowshoe-netter” (compare Ojibwe aškime· “to net snowshoes”); cf. husky 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
And as Eskimo discovered when it attempted to export towel rails to Australia and New Zealand, both countries abide by international safety standards that are heavily influenced by the EU's CE mark.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
Panda, a black poodle-mix breed, won the "princess in pink" award for her bright outfit and the prize of "green with envy" went to Ela, an American Eskimo dog, for her floral dress.
From Reuters ● Dec. 12, 2022
Clarabelle Lewis, the facility manager for the tribal government, the Chinik Eskimo Community, was among those who sought refuge on the hill overlooking Golovin.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 17, 2022
Ms. Peltola, a Yup’ik Eskimo, would be the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress.
From New York Times ● Aug. 16, 2022
This she had learned in childhood, and it was one of the old Eskimo ways that she liked, perhaps the only one.
From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George
Ebell wasn’t considered big enough for the NFL, but he led the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL with 1,318 total yards in 2007 before a ruptured Achilles tendon ended his career a year later.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2025
It was Halas, who was partners with Marshall in the American Basketball League, who recruited Marshall to buy the Duluth Eskimos and join the NFL.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 4, 2023
Eskimo Pies became Edy’s Pies, and the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League announced a name change, too.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 23, 2021
Jacksonville still needs a quarterbacks coach after Milanovich became head coach of the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 21, 2020
She had built a house of sod, like the summer homes of the old Eskimos.
From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
