Eskimo


[es-kuh-moh] /ˈɛs kəˌmoʊ/

noun, plural Eskimos (especially collectively) Eskimo for 1.
1.
a member of an indigenous people of Greenland, northern Canada, Alaska, and northeastern Siberia, characterized by short, stocky build and light-brown complexion.
2.
either of two related languages spoken by the Eskimos, one in Greenland, Canada, and northern Alaska, the other in southern Alaska and Siberia.
/ˈɛskɪˌməʊ/
noun
1.
(pl) -mos, -mo. a member of a group of peoples inhabiting N Canada, Greenland, Alaska, and E Siberia, having a material culture adapted to an extremely cold climate
2.
the language of these peoples
3.
a family of languages that includes Eskimo and Aleut
adjective
4.
relating to, denoting, or characteristic of the Eskimos
n.

1580s, from Danish Eskimo or Middle French Esquimaux (plural), both probably from an Algonquian word, such as Abenaki askimo (plural askimoak), Ojibwa ashkimeq, traditionally said to mean literally “eaters of raw meat,” from Proto-Algonquian *ask- “raw” + *-imo “eat.” Research from 1980s in linguistics of the region suggests this derivation, though widely credited there, might be inaccurate or incomplete, and the word might mean “snowshoe-netter.” Cf. also Innuit. Eskimo pie “chocolate-coated ice cream bar” introduced 1921.

Read Also:

  • Eskimo-Aleut

    [es-kuh-moh-uh-loot, -al-ee-oot] /ˈɛs kəˌmoʊ əˈlut, -ˈæl iˌut/ noun 1. a stock of languages, consisting of Eskimo and Aleut. adjective 2. of or belonging to Eskimo-Aleut.

  • Eskimo-curlew

    noun 1. a New World curlew, Numenius borealis, that breeds in northern North America: now nearly extinct.

  • Eskimo-dog

    noun 1. one of a breed of strong, medium-sized dogs having a dense, coarse coat, used in arctic regions for hunting and pulling sleds. 2. any dog of the arctic regions of North America used for pulling sleds. noun 1. a large powerful breed of sled dog with a long thick coat and curled tail

  • Eskimo-pie

    Trademark. 1. a small bar of ice cream coated with chocolate and skewered on a narrow, thin stick, by which it is held in the hand for eating.

  • Eskimo roll

    noun a complete rollover in kayaking, from upright to upside-down to upright


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