Etymology

toboggan

to·bog·gan
T1O1B3O1G2G2A1N1

Today it means: A long sled without runners, with the front end curled upwards, which may be pulled across snow by a cord or used to coast down hills. Full definition →

French tabaganne ← Mi'kmaq tepaqan ← Abenaki dabôgan
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The story

  1. Abenaki · derived fromdabôgan
  2. Mi'kmaq · derived fromtepaqan
  3. French · borrowed fromtabaganne
  4. English todaytoboggan

The noun is attested since 1829, the verb since 1846. Both derive from French tabaganne, which derives from an Algonquian word, probably Mi'kmaq tepaqan or Abenaki dabôgan, influenced by similar words in other Eastern Canadian Algonquian languages. The sense of "hat" is recorded since 1929 and is short for toboggan cap (1928), a cap suitable for wearing while tobogganing.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.