Inuit

noun

Save Word

In·u·it | \ ˈi-nü-wət

, -nyü- \

variants: or less commonly Innuit

Definition of Inuit

1 plural Inuit or Inuits also Innuit or Innuits

a : a member of a group of indigenous peoples of northern Alaska, arctic Canada, and Greenland —used especially for those of the Canadian Arctic and Greenland — see also inuk

b : a member of such people

2 : any of the languages of the Inuit

Usage of Eskimo

Eskimo is a word that presents challenges for anyone who is concerned about avoiding the use of offensive language. Its perceived offensiveness stems partly from a now-discredited belief that it was originally a pejorative term meaning "eater of raw flesh," but perhaps more significantly from its being a word imposed on aboriginal peoples by outsiders. It has long been considered a word to be avoided in Canada, where the native people refer to themselves as Inuit, a word that means "people" in their language. But not all the native people who are referred to as Eskimos (such as the Yupik people of southwestern Alaska and eastern Siberia) are Inuit. Eskimo has no exact synonym; it has a general meaning that encompasses a number of indigenous peoples, and it continues for now in widespread use in many parts of the English-speaking world.