Shoshonean

[ shoh-shoh-nee-uhn, shoh-shuh-nee-uhn ]

noun

, plural Sho·sho·ne·ans, (especially collectively) Sho·sho·ne·an

1. (in some, especially earlier, classifications) a grouping of four branches of the Uto-Aztecan language family including Numic, Hopi, and several languages of southern California.
2. a member of a group speaking a Shoshonean language.

adjective

1. of or relating to the Shoshonean-speaking peoples or their languages.

Shoshonean

/ ʃəʊˈʃəʊnɪən; ˌʃəʊʃəˈniːən /

noun

1. a subfamily of North American Indian languages belonging to the Uto-Aztecan family, spoken mainly in the southwestern US

Word History and Origins

Origin of Shoshonean¹

First recorded in 1890–95; Shoshone + -an

Example Sentences

They were surrounded on all sides by the cognate Apache except upon the north, where they meet Shoshonean tribes.

From Project Gutenberg

Upon the northeast the eastern limits of the pristine habitat of the Shoshonean tribes are unknown.

From Project Gutenberg

Upon the south Shoshonean territory was limited generally by the Colorado River.

From Project Gutenberg

In the southwest Shoshonean tribes had pushed across California, occupying a wide band of country to the Pacific.

From Project Gutenberg

Very likely much of the area occupied by the Atsina was formerly Shoshonean territory.

From Project Gutenberg