wigwam

Etymology

Borrowed from Abenaki wigwôm (“house”) or Penobscot wigwom (“house”), from Proto-Algonquian *wi·kiwa·ʔmi (“house”). Doublet of wickiup.

noun

  1. A dwelling having an arched framework overlaid with bark, hides, or mats, used by Native Americans in the northeastern United States.
  2. (possibly dated) Any more or less similar dwelling used by indigenous people in other parts of the world.
    The Fuegian wigwam resembles, in size and dimensions, a haycock. It merely consists of a few broken branches stuck in the ground, and very imperfectly thatched on one side with a few tufts of grass and rushes. 1845 edition, Charles Darwin, Journal and Remarks (The Voyage of the Beagle)

verb

  1. (transitive) To dry (flax or straw) by standing it outside in the shape of a wigwam.

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