Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Inuit” come from?

Inuit comes from Inuktitut ᐃᓄᒃ, from Proto-Inuit inuɣ, from Proto-Eskimo ińuɣ, ultimately meaning "person" or "people."

Inuit (English): A member of any of several Aboriginal peoples of...

Definitions

  1. A member of any of several Aboriginal peoples of...

Ancestry of “Inuit”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Inuktitutᐃᓄᐃᑦplural of ᐃᓄᒃ : people; the people
2Proto-Inuitinuɣman, person
3Proto-Eskimo-Aleut*iŋuɣ—
Every word from Proto-Eskimo-Aleut *iŋuɣ →