Athabascan

noun

Ath·​a·​bas·​can ˌa-thə-ˈba-skən How to pronounce Athabascan (audio)
variants or Athabaskan
ˌa-thə-ˈba-skən How to pronounce Athabascan (audio)
or less commonly Athapaskan
ˌa-thə-ˈpa-skən How to pronounce Athabascan (audio)
or Athapascan
ˌa-thə-ˈpa-skən How to pronounce Athabascan (audio)
1
: a family of languages spoken primarily by certain Indigenous peoples of western Canada, Alaska, and the U.S. Southwest
2
plural Athabascans or Athabaskans also Athapaskans or Athapascans : a member of a people speaking an Athabascan language

Examples of Athabascan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Now, kids ranging in age from 4 to 17 are confined to three classrooms and an atrium lined with portraits of the community's Yup'ik and Athabascan elders. — Emily Schwing, NPR, 4 Mar. 2025 The decree undoes the work of former President Barack Obama, who, in 2015 officially changed the name from Mount McKinley to Denali, the peak’s traditional name from the Koyukon Athabascan language, which is spoken by Alaska’s Native inhabitants. — Jayme Moye, Outside Online, 24 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Athabasca, a Cree band, from Cree dialect aδapaska·w, name for the area east of Lake Athabasca, literally, (where) there are reeds one after another

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of Athabascan was in 1830

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Athabascan
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Cite this Entry

“Athabascan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Athabascan. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.

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