In·u·it also In·nu·it ( n y -t)n. pl. Inuit or In·u·its also Innuit or In·nu·its 1. A member of a group of Eskimoan peoples inhabiting the Arctic from northern Alaska eastward to eastern Greenland, particularly those of Canada. 2. a. The family of languages spoken by the Inuit. b. Any of the languages spoken by the Inuit. [Inuit, pl. of inuk, human being, Eskimo.] Usage Note: The preferred term for the native peoples of the Canadian Arctic and Greenland is now Inuit, and the use of Eskimo in referring to these peoples is often considered offensive, especially in Canada. Inuit, the plural of the Inuit word inuk, "human being," is less exact in referring to the peoples of northern Alaska, who speak dialects of the closely related Inupiaq language, and it is inappropriate when used in reference to speakers of Yupik, the Eskimoan language branch of western Alaska and the Siberian Arctic. See Usage Note at Eskimo. |
Inuit, Innuit [ˈɪnjuːɪt]
n pl -it, -its
(Social Science / Peoples) an Eskimo of N America or Greenland, as distinguished from one from Asia or the Aleutian Islands: the general name for an Eskimo in Canada Compare Yupik
[from Eskimo inuit the people, pl of inuk a man]
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  Inuit - a member of a people inhabiting the Arctic (northern Canada or Greenland or Alaska or eastern Siberia); the Algonquians called them Eskimo (`eaters of raw flesh') but they call themselves the Inuit (`the people')American Indian, Indian, Red Indian - a member of the race of people living in America when Europeans arrived |
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