wigwam
[wig-wom, -wawm]
- an American Indian dwelling, usually of rounded or oval shape, formed of poles overlaid with bark, mats, or skins.Compare lodge(def 9), tepee.
- the Wigwam. Tammany Hall(def 2).
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Origin of wigwam
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for wigwam
Contemporary Examples
From Dollywood to the Wigwam Village Motel, the country never looked so sweet as through the eyes of a pooch.
Historical Examples
The boys lay down as usual in the wigwam in the midst of the family.
The Boy CaptivesJohn Greenleaf Whittier
The boys lay down as usual in the wigwam, in the midst of the family.
The Works of Whittier, Volume VI (of VII)John Greenleaf Whittier
He then threw to them the morsel of moose-meat he had taken from the wigwam.
The Works of Whittier, Volume VI (of VII)John Greenleaf Whittier
My father was a chief; he had plenty meat and corn in his wigwam.
The Works of Whittier, Volume V (of VII)John Greenleaf Whittier
He comes into my Wigwam on all manner of occasions, and with the absurdest ‘Medicine.’
The Uncommercial TravellerCharles Dickens
wigwam
- any dwelling of the North American Indians, esp one made of bark, rushes, or skins spread over or enclosed by a set of arched poles lashed togetherCompare tepee
- a similar structure for children
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Word Origin
from Abnaki and Massachuset wīkwām, literally: their abode
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 wigwam
n.
1620s, from Algonquian (probably Eastern Abenaki) wikewam "a dwelling," said to mean literally "their house;" also said to be found in such formations as wikiwam and Ojibwa wiigiwaam and Delaware wiquoam.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper