metis
/meɪˈtiː/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.33 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
name
One of three recognized Aboriginal peoples of Canada, descendants of marriages of Cree, Ojibwa, Saulteaux, and Menominee Aboriginal people with French Canadians, Scots and English.
Canadian usage
name
A Titan who was the personification of wisdom, the first spouse of Zeus, and the mother of Athena
noun
A person of mixed-race ancestry.
noun
Alternative letter-case form of Metis (“a member of one of three Canadian Aboriginal peoples; any person of mixed European and Indigenous descent”).
Canadian usage; American usage
Example Sentences
- "Gabriel Du Pre is a Metis, a descendent^([sic]) of the Cree, Chippewa and Ojibwe tribes mixed with French."
- "He is a Métis, that is, the son of a white father and Indian mother. He has dwelt long in cities where Europeans have conducted business, and speaks English and French very well; the other two chiefs are a Negro and an Indian: […]"
- "Malcolm Norris proposed that "if he has one drop of Indian blood in his veins and has not been assimilated into the social fabric of our civilization he is a Metis.""
Etymology
Borrowed from French métis, from Old French mestis, from Late Latin mixtīcius. Métis originally referred to Francophone and Cree-speaking descendants of the French-Catholic Red River Métis in Manitoba. Compare metis, mestizo, mustee, and Mestee.
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /meɪˈtiː/
Usage
- Canadian usage
- American usage
- Uncountable