Wigwams
/ˈwɪɡ.wɑːmz/noun
Plural of wigwam: a dome-shaped dwelling traditionally used by some Indigenous peoples of North America.
Did you know?Wigwam comes through English from an Algonquian word for a dwelling, and its history is a reminder that everyday English is full of borrowed Native American words that survived colonization.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Algonquian
PA
*wi·kiwa·ma
“dwelling, house”
Eastern Algonquian
Algonquian
wikəwəm / wigiwom
“house, lodge, dwelling”
17th Century
English
wigwam
“an Indigenous dwelling in North America”
Modern English
English
wigwam
“a dome-shaped Native American dwelling”