Siouan

noun

Siou·​an ˈsü-ən How to pronounce Siouan (audio)
1
: a family of languages spoken by Indigenous peoples of central and southeastern North America
2
plural Siouan : a member of any of the peoples speaking Siouan languages

Examples of Siouan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Dakota is one of the Siouan languages, and very similar to Lakota, a difference comparable to that of British English and American English, according to native-languages.org. Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2024 In North Carolina, a charter school came under fire for demanding that a first-grade boy who is a member of the Waccamaw Siouan Tribe and wears his hair long for religious and cultural reasons cut his hair to be in compliance with the school’s grooming standards. Kim Bellware, Washington Post, 13 Sep. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Siouan was in 1885

Dictionary Entries Near Siouan

Cite this Entry

“Siouan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Siouan. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

Siouan

noun
Siou·​an ˈsü-ən How to pronounce Siouan (audio)
1
: an Indigenous language stock of central and southeastern North America
2
: a member of any of the Indigenous peoples speaking Siouan languages
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