Abenaki
noun
Abe·na·ki
ˌa-bə-ˈnä-kē 
1
plural Abenaki or Abenakis also Abnaki or Abnakis
: a member of a group of Algonquian-speaking (see Algonquian sense 2a) Indigenous peoples of northern New England and adjoining parts of Quebec
2
: either of the two Algonquian languages spoken by the Abenaki peoples
Examples of Abenaki in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Nora’s not one to give up easily, but neither is the Native Abenaki tour guide Ennis Freeman (Bear to his friends), who has staked his own claim on the property.
—
Ashley Poston, New York Times, 21 May 2025
According to an Abenaki oral tradition, the sap of sugar maple trees used to flow as thick and sweet as honey year-round.
—Nina Foster, JSTOR Daily, 28 Mar. 2025
For thousands of years, the five tribal nations of the Wabanaki peoples—the Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy, Penobscot and Abenaki—have harvested these wild blueberries in late summer.
—Kate Olson, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 June 2024
Get a taste of Quebec with hearty eats, including Abenaki poutine and the wagyu beef burger, or indulge in a classic French-Canadian sugar shack brunch for $75 per person — a prix-fixe menu that incorporates the province’s famous maple syrup in each of the four courses.
—Annie Archer, Travel + Leisure, 12 Apr. 2024
And like those southern border towns, Pittsburg sits on land that was once fiercely contested — first between the French and British and the Abenaki, who used its wilderness to the north as their hunting grounds, and later between the British and the Americans.
—Jazmine Ulloa, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2024
Some of the Pilgrims' first visitors were founding people and custodians of the land, including an Abenaki Indian and a member of the Pawtuxet tribe called Squanto.
—Fiona Tapp, Parents, 20 Aug. 2023
Her lifetime of work will be recognized in Peterborough, N.H., on Sunday, when the Abenaki artist will receive a prestigious Edward MacDowell Medal, joining a club that includes Toni Morrison, David Lynch, and others.
—Amanda Gokee, BostonGlobe.com, 21 July 2023
But to Agnes’ dismay, this hallowed land, formerly Abenaki territory, is threatened with desecration by a local developer who hopes to build a resort and village on Fellowship Point by luring shareholders with the promise of an economic windfall.
—Heller McAlpin, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 July 2022
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Ashley Poston, New York Times, 21 May 2025
According to an Abenaki oral tradition, the sap of sugar maple trees used to flow as thick and sweet as honey year-round.
—Nina Foster, JSTOR Daily, 28 Mar. 2025
For thousands of years, the five tribal nations of the Wabanaki peoples—the Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy, Penobscot and Abenaki—have harvested these wild blueberries in late summer.
—Kate Olson, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 June 2024
Get a taste of Quebec with hearty eats, including Abenaki poutine and the wagyu beef burger, or indulge in a classic French-Canadian sugar shack brunch for $75 per person — a prix-fixe menu that incorporates the province’s famous maple syrup in each of the four courses.
—Annie Archer, Travel + Leisure, 12 Apr. 2024
And like those southern border towns, Pittsburg sits on land that was once fiercely contested — first between the French and British and the Abenaki, who used its wilderness to the north as their hunting grounds, and later between the British and the Americans.
—Jazmine Ulloa, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2024
Some of the Pilgrims' first visitors were founding people and custodians of the land, including an Abenaki Indian and a member of the Pawtuxet tribe called Squanto.
—Fiona Tapp, Parents, 20 Aug. 2023
Her lifetime of work will be recognized in Peterborough, N.H., on Sunday, when the Abenaki artist will receive a prestigious Edward MacDowell Medal, joining a club that includes Toni Morrison, David Lynch, and others.
—Amanda Gokee, BostonGlobe.com, 21 July 2023
But to Agnes’ dismay, this hallowed land, formerly Abenaki territory, is threatened with desecration by a local developer who hopes to build a resort and village on Fellowship Point by luring shareholders with the promise of an economic windfall.
—Heller McAlpin, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 July 2022
Cite this Entry
“Abenaki.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Abenaki. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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