Yupik

American  

[yoo-pik] / ˈju pɪk /

noun

Yupiks, plural Yupik plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Yupik
  plural
• Yupiks
  plural

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

See Examples For:

Yupik

Both women married local men and became naturalized U.S. citizens, said Boolowon, who is Siberian Yupik.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 22, 2022

“They feel nanikua because they can’t escape from where they’re living,” says Catherine Moses, a tribal administrator with the council, using a Yupik word to describe the feeling of desperation or hopelessness.

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

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

From Science Magazine ● Sep. 9, 2020

Dancer Trish Tuluk explained that she and other members of the group share a Yupik heritage but are currently living and studying on Dena’ina land, so they wanted to recognize both cultures with the name.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 16, 2019