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tepee

or tee·pee, ti·pi

[tee-pee]
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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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Compare lodge(def 9), wigwam.

Origin of tepee

1735–45, Americanism; < Dakota tʰípi, equivalent to tʰí- to dwell + -pi plural indefinite abstract noun suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for tepee

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Sierra Vista was a far vaster affair than the tepee of Grey Beaver.

    White Fang

    Jack London

  • Nothing happened, though the adjacent portions of the tepee moved.

    White Fang

    Jack London

  • A mutter of voices in Pogosa's tepee interrupted his thought.

  • As he peered in at the tepee door Wetherell perceived Pogosa dimly.

  • Pogosa was waiting, squatted on the ground at some distance from her tepee.

British Dictionary definitions for tepee

tepee

teepee

noun
  1. a cone-shaped tent of animal skins used by certain North American Indians
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Word Origin

C19: from Siouan tīpī, from ti to dwell + pi used for
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 tepee

n.

1743, ti pee, from Dakota (Siouan) thipi "dwelling, house."

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper