umiak

or oo·mi·ak

[ oo-mee-ak ]

noun

1. an Inuit or Yupik open boat that consists of a wooden frame covered with skins and provided with several thwarts: used for transport of goods and passengers.

umiak

/ ˈuːmɪˌæk /

noun

1. a large open boat made of stretched skins, used by Inuit Compare kayak

Word History and Origins

Origin of umiak¹

First recorded in 1760–70, umiak is from the Inuit word umiaq “women's boat”

Word History and Origins

Origin of umiak¹

C18: from Greenland Inuktitut: boat for the use of women

Example Sentences

One of them is the great woman's boat called the umiak, from twelve to eighteen yards in length, and four or five in width.

From Project Gutenberg

The umiak dashed off, but it seemed as if it were standing still, so swiftly did the whale overhaul it.

From Project Gutenberg

(a) Method of fastening bilge-streaks to stem of umiak; (b) method of framing rib to gunwale, etc.

From Project Gutenberg

The two assist him to rise and the heavy load is taken to the umiak and placed in the bottom for ballast.

From Project Gutenberg

The form of the umiak, in the region under consideration, differs greatly from that of the Eskimo of Bering sea.

From Project Gutenberg