cherokee
/ˌt͡ʃɛ.ɹəˈkiː/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.45 in modern English
17
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A member of an indigenous North American people.
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Their Iroquoian language, spoken in Oklahoma and North Carolina.
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A syllabary for the Cherokee language invented by Sequoyah.
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A town in Colbert County, Alabama.
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A former gold mining settlement in Nevada County, California.
Example Sentences
- "You don’t have to be a member of a tribe to help protect native languages. In Oklahoma, public students can choose to take Indigenous language courses like Bodéwadmimwen, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Comanche and others for school credit — an empowering step toward recognition and respect. Many tribal nations, including CPN, also offer free resources such as language apps, workshops and virtual lessons open to learners of all backgrounds and abilities."
Etymology
Most likely from the Cherokee autonym ᏣᎳᎩ (tsalagi). Derivation from a Choctaw exonym meaning "those who live in caves" (compare chiluk (“cave”)) has also been suggested — the Iroquois term for the Cherokee was Oyata'ge'ronon (“inhabitants of the cave country”) — as has derivation from a Creek term for "person(s) who speak(s) a non-Creek language" (see celokketv (“to speak a non-creek language”)). Regardless of its origin, the ethnonym entered European languages at an early date, perhaps as early as the 1670s; in Spanish, the people are called the Tchalaquei as early as 1755.
Word Breakdown
- Root: -