bearpaw

[ bair-paw ]

noun

, Chiefly Canadian.

1. a small, almost round snowshoe used on steep or rocky terrain.
2. bear claw ( def ).
3. a round horseshoe.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bearpaw¹

First recorded in 1775–85; bear ² + paw ¹

Example Sentences

They disappeared across the rolling landscape and into the glaring sun behind the Bearpaw Mountains to the west.

From Seattle Times

“You know when you told me you were despicable, that they called you that? You are despicable. We are despicable,” George Bearpaw recalls his father telling him, before explaining that the same could be said of their many relatives who fought in wars so that “normal” people wouldn’t have to carry the burden of those experiences.

From Washington Post

Bearpaw, who lives in Northern Virginia, shares that moment with me on a recent morning as we talk about why it matters that a National Native American Veterans Memorial now exists in the nation’s capital.

From Washington Post

Many tribes have created their own memorials to honor veterans, Bearpaw says.

From Washington Post

“Veterans Day meant everything to him,” George Bearpaw says, adding that he knows what his father would probably have thought about the new memorial.

From Washington Post