Kiowa

American  

[kahy-uh-wuh, -wah, -wey] / ˈkaɪ ə wə, -ˌwɑ, -ˌweɪ /

noun

plural

Kiowas,

plural

Kiowa

1. a member of an Indigenous Great Plains tribe, now living primarily in Oklahoma.

2. the language of the Kiowa, closely related to Tanoan.

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adjective

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

Etymology

Origin of Kiowa

First recorded in 1800–10; from Kiowa kɔjgwu “principal people”

Example Sentences

The tree sat on the Kiowa Ranch, a property that noted arts patron Mabel Dodge Luhan had given to Frieda Lawrence, wife of the British writer D.H.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

M. Scott Momaday, in his essay “The Way to Rainy Mountain,” describes his Kiowa grandmother, who “bore an image of deicide.”

From Salon • Sep. 1, 2024

In the parking lot were cars with tribal license plates from Cherokee, Chickasaw, Comanche, Kiowa and Otoe-Missouria tribes.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 20, 2022

Hokeah’s characters exist at the intersection of Kiowa, Cherokee and Mexican identity, which provides a vital exploration of indigeneity in contemporary American letters.

From New York Times • Aug. 16, 2022

He pulled hard but Kiowa was gone, and then suddenly he felt himself going, too.

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien