Koyukon
Americannoun
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a member of a North American Indian people living in the Yukon River valley in west-central Alaska.
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the Athabascan language of the Koyukon.
Etymology
Origin of Koyukon
Respelling, after the Koyukuk and Yukon Rivers, of earlier Co-Youkon, from Russian kuyukantsy (plural), derivative of Kuyukak “the Koyukuk River,” ultimately derived from Inupiaq kuiyuk
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.
In 2015, then-President Barack Obama redesignated the mountain Denali, a name long championed by Alaskans, which roughly translates to “the great one” in Koyukon Athabascan, a Native Alaskan language.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 20, 2025
The games all have origins in Native villages and go beyond living memory, explains Kalloch, who is of Koyukon Dena and Creole descent.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2023
That name, meaning “the great one” or “the high one” in the Alaska Native language Koyukon, pays tribute to the state’s Indigenous population.
From New York Times ● Jun. 13, 2022
Denali, the mountain’s federally recognized name since 2015, is a Koyukon word that meaning “the tall one” that has been in use for 10,000 to 12,000 years by many Athabascan peoples, an Alaska Native group.
From Scientific American ● Apr. 22, 2022
The 211-mile road to the Ambler Mining District in northwest Alaska would cross the Koyukon, Tanana Athabascans and Iñupiat native lands, the department said in a statement.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 22, 2022
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