watap

noun

wa·​tap

waˈtäp

variants or less commonly watape or wattape

-pē

plural -s

: a thread made of the stringy roots of any of various coniferous trees and used by American Indians especially for sewing together strips of birch bark in canoes

Word History

Etymology

Canadian French watap, from Algonquin

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

• More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
• Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
• Advanced search features
• Ad free!