Lënape
/ləˈneɪpeɪ/noun
A name for an Indigenous people of the northeastern woodlands of North America and for their Algonquian language.
Did you know?Lënape is an endonym, meaning it is a name the people use for themselves, while “Delaware” was an externally imposed colonial name derived from an English nobleman’s title.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Algonquian
Proto-Algonquian
*elen-
“A reconstructed Algonquian root associated with a person or human being.”
Pre-contact period
Unami
lənáːpe
“Person or human being; the source of the ethnic name.”
17th Century
Lenape
Lënape
“The people’s self-designation, literally referring to persons or human beings.”
17th Century
Dutch and English
Lenape
“A recorded name for the Indigenous people living in the Delaware Valley and surrounding region.”
Modern English
English
Lenape
“The people, their language, or matters relating to them.”