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definitions

wanigan

[won-i-guh n]
noun
  1. a lumberjack's trunk.
  2. a lumber camp's supply chest.
  3. a small house on wheels or tractor treads, used as an office or shelter in temporary lumber camps.
  4. (especially in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest) a lean-to or other small addition built onto a house trailer, cabin, etc.
Also wan·gan, wan·gun [wang-guh n] /ˈwæŋ gən/, wan·ni·gan.

Origin of wanigan

1840–50; < Ojibwa wa·nikka·n pit, derivative of wa·nikke·- to dig a hole in the ground < Proto-Algonquian *wa·θehke·- (*wa·θ- hole + *-ehke·- make)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for wanigan

Historical Examples of wanigan

  • The tribulations of the wanigan were as the salt of life to the spectators.

    The Blazed Trail

    Stewart Edward White

  • The cook had, early that morning, moored the wanigan to the bank.

    The Blazed Trail

    Stewart Edward White

  • Get the lanterns from the wanigan, and bring them to the dam.

    The Riverman

    Stewart Edward White

  • This, after some difficulty, was made fast to the bow of the wanigan.

    The Riverman

    Stewart Edward White

  • The ground had now hardened so that a wanigan boat was unnecessary.

    The Riverman

    Stewart Edward White

British Dictionary definitions for wanigan

wanigan

wannigan

noun Canadian
  1. a lumberjack's chest or box
  2. a cabin, caboose or houseboat

Word Origin for wanigan

C19: from Algonquian
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