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)

  1. (now offensive, ethnic slur) A woman, wife; especially a Native American woman.

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

Translations

References

  1. Ives Goddard, The True History of the Word Squaw, in Indian Country News (April 1997), page 17A

Further reading


French

Etymology

From English squaw.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /skwo/

Noun

squaw f (plural squaws)

  1. 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

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