Tepee
/ˈtiː.piː/noun
A conical tent traditionally used by some Indigenous peoples of the North American Plains.
Did you know?“Tepee” comes from a Dakota term meaning a dwelling, and the iconic cone shape was engineered for wind, fire, and mobility—not just aesthetics.
Etymological Timeline
Dakota language
Dak
thípi
“dwelling; house”
19th Century
English
tepee
“a phonetic spelling used in English for the Plains Indigenous conical dwelling”
Modern English
English
tepee
“a conical tent associated especially with Indigenous peoples of the North American Plains”
Modern English
English
tipi
“the now more common standard spelling of the same word”