This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
squaw
[ skwaw ]
/ skwɔ /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
Older Use: Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a North American Indian woman, especially a wife.
Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.
- a contemptuous term used to refer to a wife.
- a contemptuous term used to refer to any woman or girl.
QUIZ
FIRE UP YOUR VOCAB FOR A "RED" SYNONYMS QUIZ
No fire engine reds here, only a fierce collection of vibrant words for the color red to test yourself on.
Question 1 of 7
What does "amaranth" mean?
Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing
Origin of squaw
First recorded in 1625–35, Americanism; from Massachusett (English spelling) squa, ussqua “woman, younger woman,” from Proto-Algonquian eθkwe·wa (unattested)
usage note for squaw
Origjnally a neutral term, squaw began to be perceived as offensive by the early 20th century and has since declined in use. Part of the reason may be that the word is sometimes mistakenly thought to refer literally to the female genitals.
Words nearby squaw
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use squaw in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for squaw
squaw
/ (skwɔː) /
noun
offensive a North American Indian woman
slang, usually facetious a woman or wife
Word Origin for squaw
C17: of Algonquian origin; compare Natick squa female creature
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