Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

papoose

/pəˈpuːs/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.06 in modern English

Syllables: pa-poose
IPA: /pəˈpuːs/

11

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A Native American baby.

American usage; Dated; Offensive

noun

A backpack for carrying a baby, or specifically a cradleboard.

British usage

Example Sentences

"[…] a half-breed what they nicknamed "Splinters" 'cos of the way he fixed up her papoose which he stole on a raid […]"
"They say he has Indian blood in him. They say he has an Indian wife somewhere, and a lot of papooses. Cherokee."
"In the empty Houston streets of four o’clock in the morning a motorcycle kid suddenly roared through, all bespangled and bedecked with glittering buttons, visor, slick black jacket, a Texas poet of the night, girl gripped on his back like a papoose, […]"

Etymology

Borrowed from Narragansett papoos (“a child”).

Usage

American usage
Dated
Offensive
British usage

Inflected Forms

papooses (plural)

Derived Forms

papooselike pooseback

Phrases

papoose board papoose root

Frequently Paired Words

squaw buck

Synonyms

pappoose

Rhymes With

use time-use jesus produce reduce ill-use abuse excuse loose introduce juice bruce

Questions

How do you pronounce papoose?: The recorded pronunciation is /pəˈpuːs/.
What does papoose mean?: A Native American baby.
Where does papoose come from?: Borrowed from Narragansett papoos (“a child”).

How to pronounce papoose

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “papoose”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/pəˈpuːs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “papoose”.
Repeat and practice — Say “papoose” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.