Meanings
plural Chipewyans · alternative Chippewyan
- A member of a Native American tribe of Central Canada, in the regions of Alberta, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, and Saskatchewan.
In addition to their leatherwork, woodwork, stonework, and bonework, the Chipewyan also worked in metal.
2006, Carl Waldman, Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes, page 651 more example
One of the big challenges, it turns out, is the government itself. Last week, Shene Catholique-Valpy, an Aboriginal woman born and raised in the Northwest Territories, spoke out publicly about her year-long fight to have the the^([sic]) traditional Chipewyan spelling of her daughter’s name, Sahaiʔa May Talbot, on her birth certificate. Sahaiʔa roughly translates to: “As the sun breaks through the clouds or over the horizon.” And the symbol, which resembles a question mark without the dot, called a glottal stop, indicates the correct pronunciation and meaning; without it, the name is incorrect.
2015 March 12, Rachel Browne, “What’s in a name? A Chipewyan’s battle over her native tongue”, in Maclean's, archived from the original on 13 Mar 2015
alternative Chippewyan
- The Northern Athabascan language spoken by this tribe.
Synonyms: Dene, Dene Suline, Dene Sųłiné, Denesuline, Denésoliné
Synonyms & antonyms
proper nounThe Northern Athabascan language spoken by this tribe.
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe language spoken by the Chipewyan
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Plains Creeᒌᐘᔮᐣ“pointed skin”
- EnglishChipewyan
From Plains Cree ᒌᐘᔮᐣ (Cīpwayān, “pointed skin”), from ᒌᐚᐤ (cīpwāw, “to be pointed”) + ᐘᔮᐣ (wayān, “skin, hide”) — a reference to the cut and style of Chipewyan parkas.
More words from Plains Cree
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Russian чипевиа́н
- чипевиа́н (čipevián)language
Cite this entry
Chipewyan. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chipewyan
“Chipewyan.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chipewyan. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Chipewyan,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chipewyan.
Source: Chipewyan on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.