tepee
Britishnoun
Etymology
Origin of tepee
C19: from Siouan tīpī, from ti to dwell + pi used for
Explanation
A tepee is a traditional dwelling used by indigenous North Americans in the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies. Tepees are cone-shaped tents made of animal skins and wooden poles. Tepee, which can also be spelled teepee or tipi, comes from the Lakota word thípi, meaning "dwelling." Typical tepees have flaps that open at the top, allowing smoke to escape. Their structure makes them portable but sturdy, and the treated skins keep their inhabitants warm in the winter and dry in the rain. Today, people in native communities mainly use tepees for ceremonies rather than homes.
Vocabulary lists containing tepee
Native American History - Introductory
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Native American History - Middle School and High School
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Civilizations of the Americas, Lessons 3–4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For 10 years, she traveled the “powwow trail,” which she likens to a rodeo circuit, full time, living in a van and a tepee or a pop-up trailer, hitting a different powwow every weekend.
From New York Times • Nov. 3, 2021
As Sitting Bull spoke, his younger wife entered the tepee and threw sticks on the fire before reclining in its glow.
From Slate • Oct. 25, 2021
To commemorate their return, the tribe raised a traditional tepee longhouse on the crest of the property.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 30, 2021
Curtis’s mother was a Native American who belonged to the Kaw Nation, and he was raised on a reservation by his maternal grandparents, where he spoke the Indigenous language and lived in a tepee.
From Washington Post • Nov. 12, 2020
It was easy to find twigs for kindling and he soon had a tepee of twigs built over his leaf pile.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
