Ouendat
/ˈwɛn.dæt/noun
An early French spelling of Wendat, the Indigenous people historically known in English as the Huron.
Did you know?“Ouendat” reflects French attempts to represent an Indigenous name from the Wendat language, while “Huron” is an exonym imposed by outsiders.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-17th Century
Wendat
Wendat
“The community’s own ethnonym; its exact original internal meaning is uncertain.”
Early 17th Century
French
Ouendat
“A French transcription of the Wendat ethnonym in missionary and colonial records.”
17th Century
French
Hurons
“The French exonym that became widely used for the Wendat people; its precise origin is disputed.”
17th Century
English
Huron
“The English form of the French exonym for the Wendat and related communities.”
Modern English
English
Ouendat
“A historical or variant spelling of Wendat, used especially in discussions of early French documentation.”