Inuit

or In·nu·it

[ in-oo-it, -yoo- ]

noun

, plural In·u·its, (especially collectively) In·u·it

1. a member of a group of Indigenous peoples inhabiting northernmost North America from northern Alaska to eastern Canada and Greenland.
2. the language of the Inuit, a member of the Eskimo-Aleut family comprising a variety of dialects.

Inuit

/ ˈɪnjuːɪt /

noun

1. any of several Native peoples of N America or Greenland, as distinguished from those from Asia or the Aleutian Islands (who are still generally referred to as Eskimos); the preferred term for Eskimo in N America Compare Yupik
2. the language of these peoples; Inuktitut

Usage

See Eskimo

Sensitive Note

See Eskimo, Indian.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Inuit¹

First recorded in 1755–65; from Inuit: literally, “people,” plural of inuk “person”

Word History and Origins

Origin of Inuit¹

from Inuktitut inuit the people, pl of inuk a man

Example Sentences

She modeled her lightweight, 11-inch-tall, moose-hide Klondike after the footwear their Inuit friends wore.

From Outside Online

While staying with an Inuit family in a village above the Arctic Circle, I never once saw an adult argue with a child.

From Time

Many Inuit parents see arguing with children as silly and a waste of time, interpreter Elizabeth Tegumiar explained further.

From Time

Part memoir, part Inuit folklore, it’s been called “magic realism,” and that’s probably not an accurate label either, but it’s as close as one can get to a traditional name for this narrative of a girl growing up in Nunavut.

From Washington Post

Ada Delutuk was born in 1898, 60 years before Alaska became the 49th state, and grew up in the Inuit settlement of Spruce Creek, Alaska.

From Ozy

Try explaining what a cucumber tastes like to a 19th century Inuit.

From The Daily Beast

Discovered frozen in ice by two Inuit waterbenders, they begin a journey to help him access his full powers as avatar.

From The Daily Beast

The commenter said Dodson is not a full-blooded member of any tribe and is in fact one-quarter Aleut, not Inuit.

From The Daily Beast

Not that Western civilization has never embraced the mythical Inuit practice of leaving the old out on an ice floe.

From The Daily Beast

Itajung became a highly respected man, for he was by far the best whaler in all the Inuit tribe.

From Project Gutenberg

They were much taller than the Inuit and had very long legs and arms, but their eyes were not as good.

From Project Gutenberg

They were on good terms with the Inuit and shared the same hunting ground, but lived in separate villages.

From Project Gutenberg

In days of old an enormous man lived with other members of the Inuit tribe in a village beside a large inlet.

From Project Gutenberg

Their strength was so great that they could hold a harpooned walrus as easily as the Inuit could hold a seal.

From Project Gutenberg