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Glite Dictionary
🪶 A Native people 🗣️ A language group
Iroquois

Iroquois

8.8
A group of Native American languages spoken by people in New York and Canada
  • noun
  • /ˈɪrəˌkwɔɪ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : iroqués
  • The Iroquois languages are known for their complex grammar and rich vocabulary.

Examples

  • It's a place whose name means beautiful river in Iroquois, and it's a place that left its mark on me.

  • And it's really interesting because the US Constitution, parts of it are based on the Iroquois law of peace.

  • Lucky for all of you, I spent weeks tracking down a notorious yet incredibly rare source that goes into the Iroquois history with exquisite detail.

  • Many scholars study the Iroquois to understand their unique cultural heritage and traditions.

  • The Iroquois were skilled storytellers, and their languages contain many ancient tales.

Synonyms

Iroquoian
vsIroquois
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of Native American languages, such as Mohawk, Oneida, and Seneca

is the same family term but uses a different conventional name
Iroquoian language
vsIroquois
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of North American native languages first spoken by the Iroquois and related groups

refers to the family spoken in traditional practice rather than only historically

Compounds

League of Iroquois
8.5

A group of five Iroquois tribes in eastern North America that formed a political alliance and later added a sixth

Iroquois League
8.6

A group of Native American tribes in northeastern North America that joined together

Surface Forms

Iroquois singular
Iroquois plural

Etymology

Iroquois came into English from the French word Iroquois, which itself came from a Native American name used by neighbouring tribes long ago and whose original meaning is not clear. A helpful way to remember it is that this borrowed name now stands for a family of languages spoken by those peoples.