Abenaki

noun

Abe·​na·​ki ˌa-bə-ˈnä-kē 

variants or less commonly Abnaki

ab-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

Word History

Etymology

Eastern Abenaki wαpánahki, Western Abenaki wǫbanakii, literally, dawn land people, easterners

First Known Use

1698, in the meaning defined at sense 1