Igloo
/ˈɪɡ.luː/noun
A dome-shaped shelter made of blocks of snow, traditionally used by Inuit peoples.
Did you know?English got igloo from Inuit languages, where the root *iglu* is a plain everyday word for a house, showing how a word can travel from a life-or-death Arctic shelter into global pop culture.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Eskimo-Aleut
PEA
*iglu
“house, dwelling”
Inuit languages
Inuit
iglu
“house; dwelling, including snow houses in some contexts”
19th Century
English
igloo
“a snow house or Inuit dwelling”
Modern English
English
igloo
“a dome-shaped shelter made of snow blocks”