Navajo

noun

Na·​va·​jo ˈna-və-ˌhō  ˈnä- 

variants or less commonly Navaho

1

plural Navajo or Navajos also Navaho or Navahos : a member of an Indigenous people of northern New Mexico and Arizona and southern Utah

2

: the language of the Navajo people

Examples of Navajo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Skinwalkers Skinwalkers are a central figure in Navajo folklore, known as witches or evil shamans with the ability to shape-shift into animals or other people. —Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 10 Oct. 2024

Demand for weavings across America in the late 1800s reduced the complex figures and symbols representing the mise-en-scène of Navajo life, going back hundreds of years, to simpler motifs produced at scale by companies like Pendleton. —Petala Ironcloud, ARTnews.com, 9 Oct. 2024

Go deeper: Shah wins CD1 Democratic primary 2nd Congressional District: Jonathan Nez (D) vs. Eli Crane (R) Former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez, a Democrat, is looking to unseat incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Eli Crane. —Jessica Boehm, Axios, 9 Oct. 2024

Week 5’s big surprise was City Kickboxing’s Navajo Sterling joined teammates such as Israel Adesanya, Kai Kara France, Dan Hooker, Carlos Ulberg and more on the UFC roster. —Trent Reinsmith, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Spanish (Apache de) Navajó, literally, Apache of Navajó, from Navajó, area occupied by Navajos, probably from Tewa (Pueblo Indian language of northern New Mexico) navahu·, literally, arroyo with planted fields

First Known Use

1808, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

Navajo

noun

Na·​va·​jo

variants also Navaho

ˈnav-ə-ˌhō  ˈnäv- 

plural Navajo or Navajos also Navaho or Navahos

: a member of an Indigenous people of northern New Mexico and Arizona