manitou
Americannoun
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manitous,
plural
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manitou
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of manitou
First recorded in 1605–15; from Unami Delaware monə́t·u, reinforced by or reborrowed from Ojibwe manidoo and other cognates (all from unrecorded Proto-Algonquian maneto·wa ); spelling influenced by equivalent French word
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:
Rejecting the Europeans’ acquisitive or utilitarian attitude to wealth or material possessions, they tapped the manitou of foreign products for spiritual power and social prestige as well as practical uses.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 18, 2018
In that part of the Northeast, tisquantum referred to rage, especially the rage of manitou, the world-suffusing spiritual power at the heart of coastal Indians’ religious beliefs.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
The tribes, he said, dwelt only in the lower glens of the range, and never ventured to the summits, believing them to be holy land where a great manitou dwelt.
From Salute to Adventurers by John Buchan
A new manitou had arrived, friendly to the Apaches.
From The Red Mustang by William O. Stoddard
I am no manitou, but a man so weak he does not know the truth even for himself.
From Montlivet by Alice Prescott Smith
Nokomis was ready to make an offering to the spirits, or manitous.
From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich
While the snow and ice still held fast, Nokomis told them tales about the world of manitous and windigos, tales of Nanabozho, the comical teacher.
From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich
When she talked to the manitous, Nokomis dipped out a pinch of tobacco.
From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich
The spirits, the manitous who lived in all things, why had they ignored her prayers, her mother’s prayers, and the powerful prayers of Nokomis?
From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich
The Indians believed in evil manitous, some of whom were water-gods who exacted tribute from all who passed over their lakes.
From The Book of Hallowe'en by Ruth Edna Kelley
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
