Etymology

manitou

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Today it means: A god or spirit as the object of religious awe or ritual among some American Indians. Full definition →

Pidgin Delaware Manétto ← Unami manëtu ← Munsee manútoow
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manitou · noun1

  1. Proto-Algonquian · derived from*maneto·wa“supernatural being”
  2. Montagnais · derived frommanito꞉w
  3. French · derived frommanitou
  4. Munsee · derived frommanútoow
  5. Unami · derived frommanëtu
  6. Pidgin Delaware · borrowed fromManétto
  7. English todaymanitou

From Pidgin Delaware Manétto, from Unami manëtu and Munsee manútoow, later influenced by French manitou, from Cree/Montagnais manito꞉w; from Proto-Algonquian *maneto·wa (“supernatural being”).

Manitou · proper noun2

The Supreme Being sense is a proprialization from the common noun, manitou.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.