wanigan
[won-i-guh n]
- a lumberjack's trunk.
- a lumber camp's supply chest.
- a small house on wheels or tractor treads, used as an office or shelter in temporary lumber camps.
- (especially in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest) a lean-to or other small addition built onto a house trailer, cabin, etc.
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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
The tribulations of the wanigan were as the salt of life to the spectators.
The Blazed TrailStewart Edward White
The cook had, early that morning, moored the wanigan to the bank.
The Blazed TrailStewart Edward White
This, after some difficulty, was made fast to the bow of the wanigan.
The RivermanStewart Edward White
Get the lanterns from the wanigan, and bring them to the dam.
The RivermanStewart Edward White
The ground had now hardened so that a wanigan boat was unnecessary.
The RivermanStewart Edward White
wanigan
wannigan
- a lumberjack's chest or box
- a cabin, caboose or houseboat
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Word Origin
C19: from Algonquian
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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