Yanktonai

noun

Yank·to·nai ˌyaŋk-tə-ˈnā

plural Yanktonai or Yanktonais

: a member of a Dakota people of the upper Midwestern United States

Examples of Yanktonai in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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In 1958, Yanktonai Dakota artist Oscar Howe entered a Native art competition at the Philbrook Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma. —

Debra Utacia Krol, USA TODAY, 28 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Dakota ihą́ktʰųwąna, a Yanktonai self-designation, literally, "little village on the end," from ihą́ke "on the end" + tʰųwą́ "village" + -na, diminutive suffix

First Known Use

1863, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of Yanktonai was in 1863

See more words from the same year