Squaw

Origin

From the Massachusett word squàws ("woman"), from Proto-Algonquian *eθkwe·wa ("(young) woman"). Cognate with Abenaki -skwa ("female, wife"), Mohegan-Pequot sqá, Cree iskwew
ᐃᐢᑫᐧᐤ ("woman"), Ojibwe ikwe ("woman"). In the 1970s, some non-linguists began to claim that the word originally meant "vagina"; this has been discredited.

Ives Goddard

, The True History of the Word Squaw, in Indian Country News (April 1997), page 17A

Full definition of squaw

Noun

1. (now offensive) A woman, wife; especially a Native American woman.

Usage notes

Previously used neutrally, the word began to be used as a term of contempt in the late 1800s; it is now often considered offensive.

Derived terms

• squaw vine, squawberry
• squawweed
• squaw mint
• squaw root
• squaw fish
• squaw carpet
• squaw winter
• squaw flower
• squaw bush, squawbush
• old squaw