Athabascan

[ ath-uh-bas-kuhn ]

noun

, plural Ath·a·bas·cans, (especially collectively) Ath·a·bas·can

1. a family of languages spoken by North American Indians in most of Alaska and inland northwest Canada, in coastal Oregon and California, and in Arizona and the Rio Grande basin, and including especially Navajo, Apache, and Chipewyan. Compare family ( def 16 ).
2. a member of any of various North American Indian peoples speaking Athabascan.

adjective

1. belonging to or characteristic of the Athabascan.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Athabascan¹

First recorded in 1770–80; earlier Athapasca(s), introduced as a term for the Canadian Athabascans (from Woods Cree ahδapaska·w “Lake Athabasca,” literally, “there are reeds here and there,” from Proto-Algonquian aʔlap(y)- “net, reticulated” + -ašk- “plant” + derivational elements) + -an

Example Sentences

The Dena’ina Athabascan tribe supports the restoration and some tribal members turned out on a recent October day to watch the removal of the bell tower and to reminisce.

From Seattle Times

The stamps feature skateboard artists from around the country, including Greenwood and Crystal Worl, who is Tlingit Athabascan.

From Washington Times

Long before any of this, the land was home to the Ahtna Athabascan people, who still practice traditional subsistence hunting and fishing in the area.

From New York Times

Snow was already falling on nearby mountains, and temperatures in the Athabascan village during the winter are typically well below zero.

From Seattle Times

Heather Kendall, who is Athabascan and a retired lawyer with the Native American Rights Fund, called Ms. Peltola’s victory “a combination of an earthquake and a tsunami for Alaskan politics all at once.”

From New York Times