Cayuga

American  

[key-yoo-guh, kahy-] / keɪˈyu gə, kaɪ- /

noun

plural

Cayugas,

plural

Cayuga

1. a member of a tribe of North American Indians, the smallest tribe of the Iroquois Confederacy.

2. the dialect of the Seneca language spoken by the Cayuga.

3. Also called Cayuga duck.  one of an American breed of domestic ducks having black plumage.

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Cayuga British  

/ keɪˈjuːɡə, kaɪ- /

noun

1. a member of a Native American people (one of the Iroquois peoples) formerly living around Cayuga Lake

2. the language of this people, belonging to the Iroquoian family

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Etymology

Origin of Cayuga

1735–45, < Cayuga *kayo·kwę, name of a 17th-century village; compare Cayuga kayokwęhó˙nǫʔ Cayuga (people) (or < a related form in another N Iroquoian language)

Example Sentences

Seneca-Cayuga filmmaker Erica Tremblay discusses how learning Cayuga inspired her feature debut starring Lily Gladstone.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2025

“It didn’t make sense because you use them once and throw them out,” said Hans Pfister, the president and co-founder of Cayuga Collection, the hotel group that manages the resort, which took housekeeping’s advice.

From New York Times • Apr. 30, 2024

Cayuga – the only Federation vessel orbiting an unaffiliated colony when the Gorn attack it.

From Salon • Aug. 11, 2023

He was met by Shyia Magan, director of live animals for the Cayuga Nature Center.

From Washington Post • Feb. 20, 2023

May and the boys were upstate for the week at their house on Cayuga Lake, and he said he wasn’t in the mood to eat by himself.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee