Where does “manitou” come from?

manitou (English) comes from French manitou, from Ojibwe manidoo, from Proto-Algonquian maneto·wa — a supernatural being.

manitou (English): A god or spirit as the object of religious awe or...

Definitions

  1. A god or spirit as the object of religious awe or...

Ancestry of “manitou”, step by step

manitou traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via French manitou

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchmanitoumanitou
2Ojibwemanidoospirit; manitou; god
3Proto-Algonquianmaneto·waa supernatural being

via Pidgin Delaware Manétto

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Pidgin DelawareManétto—
2Unamimanëtumanitou

Words derived from “manitou”

Every word from Proto-Algonquian maneto·wa →Every word from Ojibwe manidoo →Every word from French manitou →