Apache
/əˈpætʃi/noun
A member of several Apache-speaking Indigenous peoples of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
Did you know?The name Apache is widely believed to come through Spanish from a Yuma word meaning “enemy,” though some scholars have proposed other Indigenous sources, so the label itself carries a history of conflict and outsider naming.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Contact / Indigenous North America
Indigenous
(various Apache autonyms)
“The peoples later labeled Apache used their own tribal names rather than a single shared self-designation.”
16th Century
Spanish
apache
“A Spanish exonym for Apache peoples, likely borrowed from an Indigenous source.”
Early Modern Period
Spanish
apache
“A term used in colonial contexts for Apache groups encountered in the Southwest.”
19th Century
English
Apache
“Entered English as the name of the Indigenous peoples and related cultural references.”
Modern English
English
Apache
“The established English name for several related Indigenous nations and languages.”