Manitoba
/ˌmænɪˈtoʊbə/noun
A province of Canada located between Saskatchewan and Ontario.
Did you know?The name’s origin is debated, but leading explanations connect it to Algonquian words for manitou—a spirit or supernatural force—not to a person or European place-name.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Algonquian period
Proto-Algonquian
*manetwiwa
“Reconstructed ancestral form associated with a supernatural being or sacred power; the exact reconstruction and semantic pathway remain debated.”
Before European contact
Cree
manitowapow
“A proposed Cree source meaning approximately “strait of the Manitou,” referring to a spirit or supernatural power.”
Before European contact
Ojibwe
manidoobaa
“An alternative proposed source, interpreted approximately as “where the Manitou sits” or “the Manitou speaks.””
17th Century
French/English records
Manitobah
“Early European-recorded forms of the name used for Lake Manitoba and the surrounding region.”
1870
English
Manitoba
“The name adopted for the Canadian province created by the Manitoba Act.”
Modern English
English
Manitoba
“The official name of the Canadian province.”
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