Abnaki
/ˌæb.nəˈkiː/noun
A variant English spelling of Abenaki, referring to an Indigenous Algonquian people of the northeastern woodlands of North America.
Did you know?Abnaki is an older English variant of Abenaki, whose Indigenous name is connected with the Wabanaki concept of the eastern or dawn lands.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Algonquian period
Proto-Algonquian
*wa·pan-
“Dawn, daylight, or the east”
Pre-contact period
Abenaki
Wôbanakiak
“People of the dawnland or eastern land”
17th Century
French
Abénaquis
“The Abenaki people; a French rendering of the Indigenous name”
17th–18th Century
English
Abnaki
“An English spelling variant for the Abenaki people”
Modern English
English
Abnaki
“A variant name for the Abenaki people and their language”
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