Manitoulin
/ˌmænɪˈtuːlɪn/noun
Manitoulin is an island in Lake Huron, Ontario, Canada, and the world’s largest freshwater island.
Did you know?In Anishinaabe thought, manidoo did not simply mean a single god or demon; it referred to a spiritual presence or power that could inhabit beings, places, and natural forces.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Algonquian
Proto-Algonquian
*manetw
“Reconstructed term associated with a supernatural being, spirit, or sacred power”
Pre-contact period
Ojibwe
manidoo
“A spirit or supernatural power; a sacred presence”
Pre-contact period
Ojibwe
Mnidoo-minising
“Literally, “on the island of the spirit” or “spirit island””
17th–18th Century
French
Manitoulin
“French-recorded form of the Indigenous island name, adapted from Anishinaabemowin forms”
Modern English
English
Manitoulin
“The name of the island in Lake Huron, Ontario”