Arawak
|A-ra-wak|
/ˈærəwæk/
Indigenous Caribbean / northern South American people
Etymology
'Arawak' originates from the indigenous Arawakan (including Taíno/Lokono) names for the people, specifically forms recorded by early Spanish and Portuguese writers as 'Arawak'/'Aruaque', where the term was an autonym used by those groups.
'Arawak' entered European languages in the 16th century from Spanish and Portuguese records (e.g. Spanish 'Arawac', Portuguese 'Aruaque'), and was adopted into English as 'Arawak'.
Initially it referred chiefly to a particular indigenous people encountered by Europeans; over time it has also been used for the specific language (Lokono) and more broadly for the Arawakan language family and related cultural designations.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a member of an indigenous people originally of northern South America and the Caribbean (also used collectively for those peoples).
The Arawak inhabited many Caribbean islands before European colonization.
Synonyms
Noun 2
the Arawak language (also called Lokono), or related languages within the Arawakan family (in some usages 'Arawak' names a specific language or the broader family).
He studied Arawak to better understand Lokono oral traditions.
Synonyms
Adjective 1
relating to the Arawak people, their languages, culture, or artifacts.
Archaeologists found Arawak pottery at the site.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/03 08:08