inukshuk

Inuksuk in the vicinity of Kuujjuarapik, Canada

• inuksuk

From Inuktitut ᐃᓄᒃᓱᒃ (inuksuk, “in the likeness of a human”).

• IPA^(key): /ɪˈnʊkˌʃʊk/

inukshuk (plural inukshuks or inukshuit or inuksuit)

1. A structure of piled stones, designed to resemble a humanoid figure and traditionally constructed by the Inuit.
   • 2004, Pamela R Stern, Historical Dictionary of the Inuit, p. 74:

     The Nunavut Territory flag bears a rendering of an inukshuk in the form of a crucifix.

   • 2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage 2007, p. 140:

     This is a miniature copy of an inukshuk that actually stands up on a ridgeline far away in the interior, rocks piled in roughly the shape of a human, not to threaten the stranger but to guide him in country where landmarks are either too few or too many to keep straight.

   • 2008, The Globe and Mail, 6 Mar 2008 (headline):

     Inuit Inuksuit to be crafted and sold for 2010 Games.

• “inukshuk” in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, Second Edition, Oxford University Press, 2004.