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 served to store seeds, and seem often to have been hidden in caves and out-of-the-way spots by Shoshonean desert tribes.

From Project Gutenberg

During the periods of the fur trade and early emigration increasing amounts of information on Shoshonean and Mono-Bannock speakers became available.

From Project Gutenberg

The earliest peoples inhabiting the northern Montana plains of which we have any record were apparently Snake Indians of Shoshonean stock.

From Project Gutenberg

The mythology of the Shoshonean Mission Indians was not essentially different from that of the other Indians of Southern California.

From Project Gutenberg

The South Ute Indian Reservation in the south of the state is the home of the Moache, Capote and Wiminuche Utes, of Shoshonean stock.

From Project Gutenberg