teepee

American  

[tee-pee] / ˈti pi /

Or tepee,

noun

1. a tent of the American Indians, made usually from animal skins laid on a conical frame of long poles and having an opening at the top for ventilation and a flap door.

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teepee British  

/ ˈtiːpiː /

noun

1. a variant spelling of tepee

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Etymology

Origin of teepee

An Americanism first recorded in 1735–45; from Dakota tʰípi, equivalent to tʰí- “to dwell” + -pi plural indefinite abstract noun suffix

Compare meaning

How does teepee compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• wigwam vs. teepee

Example Sentences

Flanking a path, perhaps, a row of them forms “a phalanx of vine-covered teepees.”

From Seattle Times

The lavvu, a traditional Sámi structure that resembles a teepee or a tent, is insulated with reindeer skins, and in the center, on a floor of twigs, a hearth.

From Salon

At the Dakota Access protest, Braun’s teepee was the first to go up at what became Oceti Sakowin camp at Standing Rock.

From Seattle Times

Hides for clothing and teepees, bones for tools and weapons, horns for ladles, hair for rope — a steady supply of bison was fundamental.

From Seattle Times

At various stops, we see remnants of the Indians’ time — rounded depressions, mostly, which served as firepits inside their teepees, along with an obsidian arrowhead that Mark finds at our second camp.

From Washington Post