eskimo

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   historical collective label for Inuit and Yupik peoples and related Arctic communities; now often considered outdated or offensive, especially in Canada and Greenland

   The editor replaced Eskimo with the specific community name except when quoting the historical source.

2. 2
   adj

   historical: relating to the peoples or languages formerly grouped under this label

   The archive retained the phrase Eskimo languages in its original nineteenth-century catalogue entry.

3. 3
   noun

   short for American Eskimo Dog or Canadian Eskimo Dog

   The American Eskimo won the small-dog agility event.

Simplified etymology

Eskimo is recorded in English from the late 16th century and arrived through Spanish and Canadian French. It comes from aïachkimeȢ, in the language of the people whom the French called Montaignais, where it referred to a Micmac person, and from Cree ayaskīmēw. It was originally applied to several different tribal groupings. It probably means “one who makes rawhide snowshoes”; the claim that it meant “one who eats raw flesh” is incorrect and offensive. The term is now out of favour.

Via French Esquimau, probably ultimately from an Innu-aimun form related to ayaskimew, often interpreted as 'snowshoe-netter.' The once-common claim that it meant 'raw-meat eater' is not accepted by most linguists. Modern usage should follow the names preferred by the specific community.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary