cawquaw

C3A1W4Q10U1A1W4

noun

A Canadian porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum).

OriginCree kâkwa →
Scrabble 24
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Meanings

nouncawquaw (plural not attested)
  1. datedno pluralpossiblyrareA Canadian porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum).

    The Cawquaw or Urson of North America also inhabits trees. It has not, however, a prehensile tail, that member being merely used as a weapon of offence, the short, sharp quills witb which it is armed sticking in the wounds […]

    1872, Samuel Orchart Beeton, Beeton's Brave tales, bold ballads, and travels and perils, page 540

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
canadian porcupinenorth american porcupineurson

Origin

  1. Creekâkwa
  2. Englishcawquaw

From Cree kâkwa / ᑳᑲᐧ (kaakay, “porcupine”).

More words from Cree

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

cawquaw. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cawquaw

MLA

“cawquaw.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cawquaw. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cawquaw,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cawquaw.

Source: cawquaw on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.