manitou

See also: Manitou

English

WOTD – 23 July 2009

Etymology

From Pidgin Delaware Manétto, from Unami manëtu (/manətːu/) and Munsee manutoow (manə́to꞉w) (later influenced by French manitou, from Cree/Montagnais manito꞉w); from Proto-Algonquian *maneto·wa (“supernatural being”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmanɪtuː/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

Noun

manitou (plural manitous)

1. A god or spirit as the object of religious awe or ritual among some American Indians.
   • 1819, Washington Irving, The Sketch Book, Rip Van Winkle:

     The favourite abode of this Manitou is still shown. It is a great rock or cliff on the loneliest part of the mountains, and, … is known by the name of the Garden Rock.

   • 1826, James Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans, published 1888, page 319:

     If it were possible to translate the comprehensive and melodious language in which he spoke, the ode might read something like the following: "Manitou! Manitou! Manitou! Thou art great, thou art good, thou art wise: Manitou! Manitou! Thou art just."

   • 1987, John A Grim, The Shaman, page 143:

     Each Ojibway shaman's method of communication with the manitou patron is unique and is related to a personal dream experience.

   • 2005, Joseph Boyden, Three Day Road, Penguin, published 2008, page 43:

     My father strung it high in a tree for the manitous to watch over.

Usage notes

Sometimes used as a proper noun, in which case it is often capitalized.

Translations

A god or spirit as the object of religious awe or ritual among some American Indians

• Cree: ᒪᓂᑐᐤ (manitow)
• Czech: Manitou m
• Fox: manetôwa
• German: Manitu m
• Japanese: マニトゥ (manitu)
• Lakota: Wakȟáŋ Tȟáŋka
• Mi'kmaq: mntu
• Mohawk: orę́·naʔ
• Mohegan-Pequot: manto
• Ojibwe: manidoo
• Portuguese: manitu m, manitó m
• Russian: маниту (manitu)
• Turkish: manitu
• Unami: manëtu

References

• Oxford English Dictionary, Third (online) Edition

Anagrams

• tinamou

French

Etymology

From Cree/Montagnais manito꞉w, Ojibwe manidoo, from Proto-Algonquian *maneto·wa (“supernatural being”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma.ni.tu/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

manitou m (plural manitous)

1. manitou

Further reading

• “manitou”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• tinamou