Sioux
/suː/noun
A collective name for several Native American peoples, especially the Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota.
Did you know?“Sioux” is an exonym: the peoples it names traditionally identify as Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota, while the word itself likely comes through French from an Ojibwe form related to a term for enemies or snakes.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-17th Century
Ojibwe
naadouessiwag
“A term used for enemies, later associated by French speakers with the Sioux peoples; often explained as meaning “little snakes.””
17th Century
French
Nadouessioux
“French form applied to the peoples of the northern plains.”
18th Century
French
Sioux
“Shortened French ethnonym used for the group.”
19th Century
English
Sioux
“English borrowed the French name for the Dakota/Lakota/Nakota peoples.”
Modern English
English
Sioux
“A collective name for several Native American nations of the Great Plains.”