Maliseet

American  

[mal-uh-seet] / ˈmæl əˌsit /

Also Malecite

noun

• Maliseets,
  plural
• Maliseet
  plural

1. Also called Wolastoqiyik.  a member of an Indigenous people of southern and western New Brunswick and northern Maine.

2. Also called Wolastoqey.  the Eastern Algonquian language of the Maliseet, mutually intelligible with Passamaquoddy.

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adjective

1. Sometimes Offensive. Also Wolastoqi of or relating to the Maliseet or their language.

Maliseet British  

/ ˈmælɪˌsiːt /

noun

1. a member of a Native Canadian people of New Brunswick and E Quebec

2. the Algonquian language of this people

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Sensitive Note

The word Maliseet comes from a Mi’kmaq word meaning “he speaks slowly; he speaks unintelligibly.” Because of this word origin, and because Maliseet is not this people's own name for themselves, the term is sometimes considered offensive. The group's self-designation is Wolastoqiyik, and their language is called Wolastoqey.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Maliseet
  plural
• Maliseets
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Maliseet

First recorded in 1740–50; earlier Malecite, from French Malécite, from Mi'kmaq mali⋅sit “he speaks slowly; he speaks unintelligibly”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Maliseet Maliseets

The settlement for the Passamaquoddy, Penobscot and Maliseet, along with a 1991 agreement for the Mi’kmaq, stipulates they’re bound by state law and treated like municipalities in many cases.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 9, 2023

That 1980 settlement for the Passamaquoddy, Penobscot and Maliseet, along with a 1991 agreement for the Mi’kmaq, set the tribes apart from others in the country.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 22, 2023

Yet in our recent study, we found the Wabanaki Nations in Maine – Maliseet, Mi'kmaq, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot – and their 9,546 citizens have been left out of this progress.

From Salon ● Feb. 15, 2023

Greenlaw, a Maliseet forestry scientist working on her PhD at the University of Maine, is at the forefront of the effort to protect the state’s brown ash.

From The Verge ● Nov. 25, 2019

Either of these pronounced in French fashion is practically identical with Maliseet, the form adopted by modern students of Indian lore, and which the writer has followed in this history.

From Glimpses of the Past History of the River St. John, A.D. 1604-1784 by W. O. (William Odber) Raymond

Since the coming of the whites the Maliseets have had few quarrels with the neighboring tribes of Indians.

From Glimpses of the Past History of the River St. John, A.D. 1604-1784 by W. O. (William Odber) Raymond

The name Pierre Thoma was very common among both the Micmacs and the Maliseets, so common indeed as to make it difficult to distinguish between individuals.

From Glimpses of the Past History of the River St. John, A.D. 1604-1784 by W. O. (William Odber) Raymond

The opinion long prevailed in Acadia that the Maliseets, were a more powerful and ferocious tribe than the Micmacs; nevertheless there is no record or tradition of any conflict between them.

From Glimpses of the Past History of the River St. John, A.D. 1604-1784 by W. O. (William Odber) Raymond

Here the Maliseets had a palisaded fort and large cabin, similar to that described by Lescarbot at the village Ouigoudy on Navy Island, where de Monts was welcomed by Chkoudun in 1604.

From Glimpses of the Past History of the River St. John, A.D. 1604-1784 by W. O. (William Odber) Raymond

All the tribes east of the Merrimac took part in it, including the Maliseets and Micmacs.

From Glimpses of the Past History of the River St. John, A.D. 1604-1784 by W. O. (William Odber) Raymond