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Webster 1913 Edition


Wigwam

Wig′wam

,
Noun.
[From the Algonquin or Massachusetts Indian word
wēk
, “his house,” or “dwelling place;” with possessive and locative affixes,
wē-kou-om-ut
, “in his (or their) house,” contracted by the English to
weekwam
, and
wigwam
.]
An Indian cabin or hut, usually of a conical form, and made of a framework of poles covered with hides, bark, or mats; – called also
tepee
.
[Sometimes written also
weekwam
.]
Very spacious was the
wigwam
,
Made of deerskin dressed and whitened,
With the gods of the Dacotahs
Drawn and painted on its curtains.
Longfellow.
☞ “The wigwam, or Indian house, of a circular or oval shape, was made of bark or mats laid over a framework of branches of trees stuck in the ground in such a manner as to converge at the top, where was a central aperture for the escape of smoke from the fire beneath. The better sort had also a lining of mats. For entrance and egress, two low openings were left on opposite sides, one or the other of which was closed with bark or mats, according to the direction of the wind.”
Palfrey.

Webster 1828 Edition


Wigwam

WIGWAM

,
Noun.
An Indian cabin or hut, so called in America. It is sometimes written weekwam.

Definition 2024


wigwam

wigwam

English

A wigwam at Lefferts Historic House Museum, Brooklyn, New York

Noun

wigwam (plural wigwams)

  1. A dwelling having an arched framework overlaid with bark, hides, or mats, used by Native Americans in the northeastern United States.
  2. (possibly dated) Any more or less similar dwelling used by indigenous people in other parts of the world.
    • 1813, John Gabriel Stedman, Narrative, of a five years' expedition, against the revolted..., volume 1, page 403:
      Their houses or wigwams, which they call carbets, are built as I have already described those of the negroes; but instead of being covered with the leaves of the manicole-tree, they are covered with the leaves of rattans or jointed canes, here called tas, []
    • 1845 edition, Charles Darwin, Journal and Remarks (The Voyage of the Beagle):
      The Fuegian wigwam resembles, in size and dimensions, a haycock. It merely consists of a few broken branches stuck in the ground, and very imperfectly thatched on one side with a few tufts of grass and rushes.

Translations

See also

  • other traditional Native American dwellings:
    • hogan (used by the Navajo in the southwestern United States)
    • igloo (used by the Inuit, made of snow)
    • teepee (used in the Great Plains)
    • tupik (used by the Inuit during the summer)
    • wetu (used by the Wampanoag in the northeastern United States)
    • wickiup (used in the southwestern and western United States)
    • wigwam (used in the northeastern United States)

References

  1. 1918, Frank G. Speck, Newell Lion, Penobscot Transformer Tales, in the International Journal of American Linguistics, volume 1, number 3 (August 1918)

Italian

Etymology

Borrowing from English wigwam.

Noun

wigwam m (invariable)

  1. wigwam

Polish

Etymology

Borrowing from English wigwam.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈvʲiɡ.vam/

Noun

wigwam m inan

  1. wigwam

Declension

Usage notes

  • Sometimes incorrectly used to refer to a teepee.

Potawatomi

Noun

wigwam

  1. house

References

  • Donald Perrot ((Can we date this quote?)) Memejek Ebodewadmimyak: Mnokmek