siwash

¹

[ sahy-wosh, -wawsh ]

noun

1. (sometimes initial capital letter) Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a North American Indian.

verb (used without object)

1. to camp out without a tent or supplies.

Siwash

²

[ sahy-wosh, -wawsh ]

noun

1. a conventional designation for any small, provincial college or for such colleges collectively (often preceded by old ):

   students from old Siwash.

Siwash

¹

/ ˈsaɪwɒʃ /

noun

1. a North American Indian

adjective

1. of, characteristic of, or relating to Indians
2. worthless, stingy, or bad

   he's siwash

siwash

²

/ ˈsaɪwɒʃ /

noun

1. See Cowichan sweater
   another name for Cowichan sweater

verb

1. intr (in the Pacific Northwest) to camp out with only natural shelter

Word History and Origins

Origin of siwash¹

1830–40; < Chinook Jargon < North American French sauvage Indian, French: wild, savage

Origin of siwash²

After a fictional college of the same name in At Good Old Siwash (1911) and other books by U.S. author George Helgeson Fitch (1877–1915)

Word History and Origins

Origin of siwash¹

C19: from Chinook Jargon, from French sauvage savage

Origin of siwash²

see Siwash

Example Sentences

He glanced down the river and saw a long Siwash dugout sweep around the curve of the Big Bend.

From Project Gutenberg

I guess Siwash, for example, is a French word—probably it was originally sauvage, meaning savage.

From Project Gutenberg

Like the ancient Greeks, the Siwash of the Northwest invest the unseen world with spiritual intelligence.

From Project Gutenberg

As for the Siwash village on the other side of Sitka, it is a Siwash village over again.

From Project Gutenberg

But when a Siwash quits eating fish it is generally because there is no more fish to eat.

From Project Gutenberg