windigo

[ win-di-goh ]

noun

1. (in the folklore of the Ojibwe and other Algonquian peoples) a cannibalistic giant, the transformation of a person who has eaten human flesh.
2. Psychiatry. a culture-specific syndrome occurring primarily among the Ojibwe and other Algonquian peoples and characterized by fever-induced delusions that one is being possessed by a cannibalistic giant.

windigo

/ ˈwɪndɪˌɡəʊ /

noun

1. a variant of wendigo

Word History and Origins

Origin of windigo¹

First recorded in 1705–15; from Ojibwe wi·ntiko·; cognate with Cree wi·htiko·w

Example Sentences

“Those who listen to the Windigo song aren’t bad people,” Gardner said.

From Seattle Times

The wind churned snow across the prairies, so Dr. Carson Gardner, the medical director of White Earth Nation’s health department, told the tale of the Windigo as a metaphor for addiction.

From Seattle Times

The Windigo is a cannibal that sings a song, and anyone who hears it must cover their ears and run away, he said.

From Seattle Times

But what happened is, people tend to get what we call windigo sickness.

From Washington Post

The windigo is this really terrifying cannibal spirit that as it gets bigger, it wants more, it wants more.

From Washington Post