hogan

noun

ho·​gan ˈhō-ˌgän How to pronounce hogan (audio)
: a Navajo Indian dwelling usually made of logs and mud with a door traditionally facing east

Illustration of hogan

Illustration of hogan

Did you know?

The traditional dwelling of the Navajo Indians of Arizona and New Mexico is called a hogan. The hogan is roughly circular and constructed usually of logs, which are stepped in gradually to create a domed roof. The whole structure is then covered with mud and sod, except for a circular opening in the roof that allows smoke to escape. The entrance generally faces the rising sun.

Examples of hogan 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.
The school’s rodeo grounds are pocked with prairie dog holes, and roads to the mobile home park and hogans that house employees are mostly unpaved. Matt Krupnick, ProPublica, 14 Oct. 2024 The Navajo elder lives in a hogan, a traditional home, built for him by neighbors in Wide Ruins, a remote town of 175 people in northeastern Arizona, about 250 miles from Phoenix. Alex Rhoades, NBC News, 3 Jan. 2024 Miranda Mullett, who grew up in Wide Ruins in a hogan built by her grandfather, initially embarked on her own effort to provide firewood to tribal members after visiting her ancestral home in December and learning of their plight. Alex Rhoades, NBC News, 3 Jan. 2024 The first design was a celebration of multiple architectural styles, from the Navajo’s hogans to the Great Plains tribes’ tipis. Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 June 2023 See all Example Sentences for hogan 

Word History

Etymology

Navajo hooghan

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hogan was in 1871

Dictionary Entries Near hogan

Cite this Entry

“Hogan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hogan. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

hogan

noun
ho·​gan ˈhō-ˌgän How to pronounce hogan (audio)
: a Navajo dwelling usually made of logs and mud with a door traditionally facing east

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