Inuktitut
/ˌɪnʊk.tɪˈtuːt/noun
An Inuit language spoken mainly in Nunavut and parts of northern Canada.
Did you know?Inuktitut belongs to the Inuit branch of the Eskimo-Aleut language family, and its name comes from the same root as Inuk, “a person,” showing how language can name both speech and belonging.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Eskimo-Aleut
PEA
*inuk
“person, human being”
Inuktitut
Inuit
inuk
“a person; an Inuit person”
Inuktitut
Inuit
-titut
“like; in the manner of”
19th–20th Century
English
Inuktitut
“the Inuit language spoken in eastern Arctic Canada”
Modern English
English
Inuktitut
“the standard English name for the language”