Abanic

adjective

Aban·​ic

əˈbanik

: siouan

Word History

Etymology

missegmented from Ojibwa ninka·pi·han "west," perhaps influenced by Ojibwa Ab-boin-ug (19th-century spelling), alteration of pwa·nak "Sioux" (plural), associated by folk etymology with apwe·, "to roast," apwa·na·kk "roasting stick" (alluding to the alleged Sioux custom of torturing enemies)

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined above

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