Siouan etymology

Etymology

The term "Siouan" is derived from the name of the Sioux tribe, a large and influential Native American group that spoke a Siouan language. The name "Sioux" is believed to be derived from an Ojibwe word meaning "little snake".

Meaning

The Siouan languages are a family of Native American languages spoken by tribes in the eastern United States and central Canada. The languages are characterized by a complex system of verb morphology and a rich vocabulary.

Origin

The Siouan languages are believed to have originated in the eastern United States, possibly in the region of the Ohio River Valley. The languages spread from there west to the Great Plains and north to the Mississippi River Valley.

The Siouan languages are divided into two main branches:

• Eastern Siouan: This branch includes the Catawba, Tutelo, Saponi, and Occaneechi languages. These languages were spoken by tribes in the eastern United States, from the Carolinas to Virginia.
• Western Siouan: This branch includes the Sioux, Assiniboine, Crow, and Hidatsa languages. These languages were spoken by tribes in the Great Plains and the Mississippi River Valley.

The Siouan languages are closely related to the Iroquoian languages, which are spoken by tribes in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. The Siouan and Iroquoian languages are believed to have diverged from a common ancestor around 4,000 years ago.

Siouan relate terms

• Sioux

  Etymology The word Sioux is derived from the Ojibwe language which is spoken by severa

• Dakota

  Etymology The name Dakota comes from the Sioux word Dakhota which means allies or

• Kansas

  Etymology of Kansas The name Kansas is derived from the Kansa or Kaw people a Native A

• Arkansas

  Etymology and Meaning The name Arkansas comes from the Siouan Indian word Quapaw wh

• Sacagawea

  Etymology Sacagawea s name is believed to be derived from two Hidatsa words Sacaga

• Dakota

  Etymology The name Dakota comes from the Sioux word Dakhota which means allies or

• Iowa

  Etymology and Meaning The name Iowa is derived from the Iowa Native American tribe who

• Nebraska

  Etymology and Meaning The name Nebraska is derived from the Oto and Omaha Native Ameri

• Missouri

  Etymology and Meaning The name Missouri has Algonquian origins and translates to big

• Crow

  Etymology The word crow comes from the Middle English word crawe which in turn evol

• Indian

  Etymology The word Indian is derived from the Greek word Indos which referred to the

• language

  Etymology The term etymology derives from the Greek word etymon meaning true sense