Nadouessioux
/ˌnædəˈwɛsiuː/noun
A historical French-derived name formerly used in English and French for the Dakota people, now regarded as obsolete and often offensive.
Did you know?Nadouessioux is the source of the shortened name “Sioux,” created when French writers reduced the longer Ojibwe-derived form.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Algonquian
Proto-Algonquian
*naːtoweːwa
“A reconstructed term for an enemy or foreign group, especially an Iroquoian people.”
Pre-17th Century
Ojibwe
naadowe
“An outsider or enemy; historically used for certain neighboring peoples.”
17th Century
Ojibwe
naadowesiwag
“A plural form referring to the Dakota or related outsiders; the exact diminutive nuance is debated.”
17th Century
French
Nadouessiou / Nadouessioux
“French renderings of the Ojibwe ethnonym, with French spelling and plural conventions.”
18th Century
English
Nadouessious
“An English historical form used for the Dakota people.”
Modern English
English
Nadouessioux
“An obsolete historical ethnonym, generally avoided in favor of the specific names Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota.”
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