Mikmaq
/ˈmɪɡˌmɑːk/noun
An Indigenous people and language of the Northeastern Woodlands, especially in eastern Canada.
Did you know?The English spelling varies because the word comes through French and English transcription of a Mi'kmaq self-name, and the people’s own language belongs to the Eastern Algonquian branch.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Algonquian
PA
*a·me·kwā
“The reconstructed ancestral form often linked to the Mi'kmaq self-name, referring to an alliance or people-group in scholarly reconstructions.”
Mi'kmaq language
Míkmaw
Míkmaq
“The name used by the people for themselves, often explained as 'my kin' or 'my allies' in older analyses, though exact historical derivation is debated.”
16th-17th Century
French
Micmac
“French spelling used for the people encountered in northeastern North America.”
18th-19th Century
English
Micmac
“English ethnonym adopted from French sources.”
Modern English
English
Mi'kmaq
“The contemporary preferred spelling for the people and their language.”
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