dene

1 of 2

noun (1)

British
: valley

Déné

2 of 2

noun (2)

Dé·​né de-ˈnā How to pronounce Déné (audio)
dā-
plural Déné or Dénés de-ˈnāz How to pronounce Déné (audio)
dā-
: a member of any of the Athabascan-speaking peoples of the interior of Alaska and northwestern Canada
also : the languages of these peoples

Examples of dene in a Sentence

Noun (1) there are some deeply wooded denes in that part of Northumberland
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The facts, again, are simple: Denes, 32, came home one night in February 2014 to find signs of a burglary in nearly every room of her home. Vinny Vella, Courant Community, 4 May 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dene.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English denu

Noun (2)

Canadian French, of Athabascan origin; akin to Chipewyan & Slave (Athabascan languages of Canada) dene person

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1867, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dene was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near dene

Cite this Entry

“Dene.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dene. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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