Manidoo
/məˈniːduː/noun
An Anishinaabe spiritual being or force possessing supernatural power.
Did you know?Manidoo is not simply equivalent to the Christian idea of a single God: in Anishinaabe thought, manidoog can include powerful spiritual beings, forces, and presences throughout nature.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Algonquian
Proto-Algonquian
*manetōwa
“Reconstructed term for a supernatural or spiritually powerful being.”
Pre-contact period
Ojibwe
manidoo
“A spirit or being with supernatural power; the plural is commonly manidoog.”
17th Century
French
manitou
“A powerful spirit or supernatural being, recorded by French missionaries from Algonquian languages.”
18th–19th Century
English
manitou
“A spirit or supernatural power in Algonquian religious traditions.”
Modern English
English/Ojibwe
manidoo
“A modern Anishinaabe form used in cultural, linguistic, and scholarly English contexts for a spiritual being or force.”
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