Illustration of calumet
calumet
noun
cal·u·met
ˈkal-yə-ˌmet 
-mət
plural calumets
: a highly ornamented ceremonial pipe used by some Indigenous American peoples
Did you know?
The calumet has long been an important component of the ceremonies of Native American groups, but the first inhabitants of the Americas did not give the venerated pipe (also known as the "peace pipe") that name. English speakers borrowed "calumet" from American French, which had carried it from the dialects of France to North America. "Chalumet," the French ancestor of "calumet," traces to the Latin calamus and the Greek kalamos, both of which mean "reed" or "pen." French baron Louis-Armand de Lom d'Arce La Hontan, who explored North America in the 17th century, noted that French speakers had applied "calumet" to the highly ornamented clay pipes of Native Americans by the 1670s; English speakers followed suit before the turn of that century.
Cite this Entry
“Calumet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calumet. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationGeographical Definition
Calumet
geographical name
Cal·u·met
ˈkal-yə-ˌmet
-mət
industrial region of northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois southeast of and adjacent to Chicago including the cities of East Chicago, Gary, and Hammond, Indiana, and Calumet City and Lansing, Illinois
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