Sauk

noun

ˈsȯk

variants or Sac

ˈsak

ˈsȯk

plural Sauk or Sauks or Sac or Sacs

: a member of an Algonquian-speaking Indigenous people formerly living in what is now Wisconsin

Word History

Etymology

short for Saukie, Saki, from American French saki, from Ojibwa osa·ki·, or a cognate Algonquian word

First Known Use

1722, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of Sauk was in 1722

See more words from the same year

Browse Nearby Words

Saugus

Sauk

Saul

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Sauk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Sauk. Accessed 24 Jul. 2025.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

panacea

Listen to the pronunciation of panacea

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

A Guide to Using Semicolons

More Words You Always Have to Look Up

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Popular in Wordplay

Is 'kryptonite' a real word?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Better Ways to Say 'This Sucks'

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Is 'kryptonite' a real word?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World