pemmican

The story

1. Proto-Algonquian · derived from*pemyi
2. Cree · derived fromᐱᒥᕀ“grease, oil, lard”
3. Cree · derived fromᐱᒦᐦᑳᐣ“pemmican”
4. English todaypemmican

From Cree ᐱᒦᐦᑳᐣ (pimiihkaan, “pemmican”), from Cree ᐱᒥᕀ (pimiy, “grease, oil, lard”) + -ᐃᐦᑳᐣ (-ihkaan, “hand made”), from Proto-Algonquian *pemyi.

First known use, by meaning

• from 18th c. A food made from meat which has been dried and beaten into a paste, mixed with berries and rendered fat, and shaped into little patties.
• from 19th c. A speech or piece of writing that is very condensed, conveying a lot of thought or information in few words.