Cree
/kriː/noun
A member of an Indigenous peoples of Canada and the northern United States, or any of their related Algonquian languages.
Did you know?“Cree” is not the people’s original collective self-name; it developed through French colonial forms such as “Cristinaux” and “Kiristinon,” whose ultimate source remains debated.
Etymological Timeline
Before the 17th Century
Cree
ininiw / iyiniw
“A Cree self-designation commonly interpreted as “person” or “human being,” though forms and analyses vary among Cree dialects.”
17th Century
French
Cristinaux
“An early French colonial form used for Cree people; its exact origin is disputed.”
17th Century
French
Kiristinon / Kristinaux
“Variant French forms referring to Cree communities in New France.”
18th Century
French
Cris / Cri
“Shortened French forms of the longer ethnonym.”
18th–19th Century
English
Cree
“The English form adopted for the people and their languages.”
Modern English
English
Cree
“A collective name for several related Indigenous peoples and languages of Canada and the northern United States.”
Explore more surprising origins