métis

or me·tis

[ mey-tees, -tee ]

/ meɪˈtis, -ˈti /

noun, plural mé·tis [mey-tees, -teez] /meɪˈtis, -ˈtiz/.

any person of mixed ancestry.

(initial capital letter) Canadian. the offspring of an American Indian and a white person, especially one of French ancestry.

Nearby words

méringue, mésalliance, métayage, métayer, métier, métis, métisse, mézair, mézières, míkonos, mílos

Origin of métis

1810–20; < French, Middle French < Late Latin mixtīcius of mixed blood

Definition for metis (2 of 2)

Metis

[ mee-tis ]

/ ˈmi tɪs /

noun Classical Mythology.

a Titaness, the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys and the mother of Athena by Zeus. Zeus swallowed Metis, and Athena was born from his head.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for metis

Zeus, therefore, persuaded Metis to transform herself into a fly.
Myth, Ritual And Religion, Vol. 2 (of 2)|Andrew Lang
This violent resistance was but an example of the bitter and dangerous spirit that was developing among the Metis.
The Romantic Settlement of Lord Selkirk's Colonists|George Bryce
No sooner was the metamorphosis complete than he swallowed the fly, and himself produced the child of Metis out of his head.
Myth, Ritual And Religion, Vol. 2 (of 2)|Andrew Lang
Canadians, Metis and Indians feeling very happy retired to return three days afterwards.
The Romantic Settlement of Lord Selkirk's Colonists|George Bryce

The hot blood of the Metis as he careered over the prairie on his steed boiled up at the least provocation.
The Romantic Settlement of Lord Selkirk's Colonists|George Bryce

British Dictionary definitions for metis

Métis

/ (mɛˈtiːs) /

noun plural -tis (-ˈtiːs, -ˈtiːz)

a person of mixed parentage

Canadian

the offspring or a descendant of a French Canadian and a North American Indian
a member or descendant of a group of such people, who established themselves in Manitoba and Saskatchewan as a distinct political and cultural force during the nineteenth century

US a person having one eighth Black ancestry; octoroon

Derived FormsMtisse (mɛˈtiːs), fem n

Word Origin for Métis

C19: from French, from Vulgar Latin mixtīcius (unattested) of mixed race; compare mestizo

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

Word Origin and History for metis (1 of 2)

Metis

first wife of Zeus, from Greek Metis, literally "advice, wisdom, counsel; cunning, skill, craft," from PIE root *me- "to measure" (see meter (n.2)).

Word Origin and History for metis (1 of 2)

metis

"person of mixed parentage," especially French Canadian and North American Indian, from French métis, from Late Latin mixticus "of mixed race," from Latin mixtus "mixed," past participle of miscere "to mix, mingle" (see mix (v.)). Cf. mestizo.