squaw
English
Etymology
From Massachusett squàw (“woman”), from Proto-Algonquian *eθkwe·wa (“(young) woman”). Cognate with Abenaki -skwa (“female, wife”), Mohegan-Pequot sqá, Cree iskwew / ᐃᐢᑫᐧᐤ (iskeyw, “woman”), Ojibwe ikwe (“woman”). In the 1970s, some non-linguists began to claim that the word originally meant "vagina"; this has been discredited.[1]
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /skwɔː/
- Rhymes: -ɔː
Noun
squaw (plural squaws)
Usage notes
Previously used neutrally, the word began to be used as a term of contempt in the late 1800s; it is now generally considered offensive.
Derived terms
Derived terms
- oldsquaw
- squaw bush, squawbush
- squaw carpet
- squawfish
- squaw flower
Translations
References
- Ives Goddard, The True History of the Word Squaw, in Indian Country News (April 1997), page 17A
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /skwo/
Noun
squaw f (plural squaws)
- squaw (not pejorative in French), Native American woman
- Ces chefs, au nombre d'une douzaine, n’avaient point amené leurs femmes, malheureuses « squaws » qui ne s’élèvent guère au-dessus de la condition d’esclaves. (Jules Verne, Le Pays des fourrures, 1873)
Synonyms
Further reading
- “squaw” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
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