Iroquois

[ ir-uh-kwoi, -kwoiz ]

/ ˈɪr əˌkwɔɪ, -ˌkwɔɪz /

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noun, plural Ir·o·quois.

a member of a North American Indian confederacy, the Five Nations, comprising the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas, and later the Tuscaroras.

adjective

belonging or relating to the Iroquois or their tribes.

QUIZ

TAKE JOY IN ACING THIS QUIZ ON “PRIDE” SYNONYMS

Hold your head up high as you embark on this quiz that explores some of the synonyms and meanings of “pride.”

Question 1 of 7

What does "dignity" mean?

showing self-respect

treating others with kindness

acting selfishly

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of Iroquois

1660–70, Americanism;<French: adaptation of an unidentified term in an Algonquian language

Words nearby Iroquois

ironwork, ironworker, ironworks, irony, Iroquoian, Iroquois, Iroquois League, irotomy, IRQ, Irra, irradiance

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use Iroquois in a sentence

Of course, it wasn’t ungoverned—just that nations like the Iroquois or Apache had societies alien to arrivals from Europe’s kingdoms.
Sebastian Junger: What We Talk About When We Talk About Freedom|Nathan S. Webster|May 31, 2021|The Daily Beast
He also fell in love with an Iroquois girl and concealed her within his home, under the care of one of his slaves.
New York’s Scariest Night Out: The Ghosts, Rats, and Lunatics of ‘Nightmare New York’|Justin Jones|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Kessenich, to be fair, has also lavished the Iroquois with praise for their skills and sportsmanship in subsequent games.
A Millennium After Inventing the Game, the Iroquois Are Lacrosse’s New Superpower|Evin Demirel|July 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If for nothing else, lacrosse matters because it reminds us the Iroquois still exist.
A Millennium After Inventing the Game, the Iroquois Are Lacrosse’s New Superpower|Evin Demirel|July 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

When the teams played the Sunday before, the Iroquois lost by only a single point.
A Millennium After Inventing the Game, the Iroquois Are Lacrosse’s New Superpower|Evin Demirel|July 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These comments incited an uproar among Iroquois fans believing Kessenich had disrespected their tradition.
A Millennium After Inventing the Game, the Iroquois Are Lacrosse’s New Superpower|Evin Demirel|July 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That it comes from another and similar Iroquois word, meaning "lake," being applied to the country as a region abounding in lakes.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
An old man of the Iroquois nation once wished to make a beautiful Indian maiden his wife.
Stories the Iroquois Tell Their Children|Mabel Powers
Lederer travelled with a Tuscarora (Iroquois) interpreter, who gave them their name in his own tongue.
The Myths of the New World|Daniel G. Brinton
Acquinoshinee, or United People, the vernacular name of the Iroquois for their confederacy.
The Indian in his Wigwam|Henry R. Schoolcraft
The Iroquois next prepared to strike an effective blow against the collective tribes of kindred origin, called Algonquins.
The Indian in his Wigwam|Henry R. Schoolcraft

British Dictionary definitions for Iroquois

Iroquois

/ (ˈɪrəˌkwɔɪ, -ˌkwɔɪz) /

noun plural -quois

a member of any of a group of North American Indian peoples formerly living between the Hudson River and the St Lawrence and Lake ErieSee also Five Nations, Six Nations

any of the Iroquoian languages

adjective

of or relating to the Iroquois, their language, or their culture

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