1
: a family of languages spoken by Indigenous peoples of central and southeastern North America
2
plural Siouan
: a member of any of the peoples speaking Siouan languages
Examples of Siouan in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The slender vessel was recovered in 2023 in partnership with the Waccamaw Siouan Tribe.
—
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 July 2025
Dakota is one of the Siouan languages, and very similar to Lakota, a difference comparable to that of British English and American English, according to native-languages.org.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2024
In North Carolina, a charter school came under fire for demanding that a first-grade boy who is a member of the Waccamaw Siouan Tribe and wears his hair long for religious and cultural reasons cut his hair to be in compliance with the school’s grooming standards.
—Kim Bellware, Washington Post, 13 Sep. 2023
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Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 July 2025
Dakota is one of the Siouan languages, and very similar to Lakota, a difference comparable to that of British English and American English, according to native-languages.org.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2024
In North Carolina, a charter school came under fire for demanding that a first-grade boy who is a member of the Waccamaw Siouan Tribe and wears his hair long for religious and cultural reasons cut his hair to be in compliance with the school’s grooming standards.
—Kim Bellware, Washington Post, 13 Sep. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Siouan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Siouan. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Siouan
noun
Siou·an
ˈsü-ən 
1
: an Indigenous language stock of central and southeastern North America
2
: a member of any of the Indigenous peoples speaking Siouan languages
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