Siouan
/ˈsuːən/noun
Relating to the Sioux or to the family of North American Indigenous languages that includes languages such as Dakota, Lakota, and Ho-Chunk.
Did you know?“Siouan” is a scholarly classification built from “Sioux,” but “Sioux” itself is an exonym transmitted through French from an Ojibwe term whose exact connotations are debated, so the family’s modern name preserves a layered outsider history.
Etymological Timeline
Before European contact
Ojibwe
naadowesiwag
“An Ojibwe plural form referring to the Sioux; it is commonly connected with a term for an enemy or snake, though the precise historical sense is debated.”
17th Century
French
Nadouessiouek
“French rendering of the Ojibwe designation for the Sioux.”
17th–18th Century
French
Sioux
“A shortened French form that became the principal European name for several Dakota-, Lakota-, and Nakota-speaking peoples.”
19th Century
English
Sioux
“An English ethnic and linguistic name adopted from French.”
19th Century
English
Siouan
“A scholarly adjective formed from Sioux with the suffix -an, referring to the broader language family.”
Modern English
English
Siouan
“Relating to the Siouan language family or its peoples and languages.”