Yupik

American  

[yoo-pik] / ˈyu pɪk /

noun

plural

Yupiks,

plural

Yupik

1. a member of any of several Indigenous peoples inhabiting western coastal Alaska from Prince William Sound north to Norton Sound, and St. Lawrence Island and the coast of the Chukchi Peninsula of Siberia.

2. any of the Eskimo-Aleut languages spoken by the Yupik.

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Yupik British  

/ ˈjuːpɪk /

noun

1. an aboriginal people of Alaska, the Aleutian Islands, and E Siberia

2. any of the languages of this people

3. of or relating to the Yupik people or their languages Compare Inuit Inuktitut

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Etymology

Origin of Yupik

First recorded in 1950–55; from Central Alaskan Yup'ik Yup'ik, a self-designation, equivalent to yuk “human being, person” + -pik “real”

Example Sentences

In Alaska, that can look like getting friends together for a maqiq, the Yupik word for a sauna or steam bath.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 15, 2023

The windows shattered, leaving Waskey — a Yupik native who grew up in the home with his family and remained after his parents passed — with icy drafts through subzero winters.

From Washington Post • Sep. 24, 2021

He shares the Yupik name for what is now the city of Gambell, Alaska.

From New York Times • Jun. 29, 2021

Waghiyi, who is St. Lawrence Island Yupik, said the pandemic prevented his family from having a reception or doing a traditional dance as part of the healing process when his daughter died last year.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 18, 2021

“Things are much better now,” says Metcalf, who is Yupik.

From Science Magazine • Sep. 9, 2020