assiniboin
|as-si-ni-boin|
/ˌæsɪnɪˈbɔɪn/
stone-Sioux (ethnonym)
Etymology
'assiniboin' originates from Ojibwe, specifically the word 'Asiniibwaan', where 'asini-' meant 'stone' and '-ibwaan' meant 'Sioux'.
'Asiniibwaan' was adopted into Canadian French and early English as 'Assiniboin' or 'Assiniboine' and eventually became the modern English name 'assiniboin' (variant spelling) for the people and river.
Initially, it meant 'stone Sioux' (a name given by neighboring Algonquian-speaking peoples), and over time it came to be used as the ethnonym for the tribe and names of geographic features (river), a meaning that has largely remained.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a member of the Assiniboine people, a Native American / First Nations tribe of the Northern Plains.
An assiniboin was respected as an elder in the camp.
Synonyms
Noun 2
the Assiniboine people (the tribe or ethnic group as a whole).
The assiniboin had a long history on the northern plains.
Synonyms
Noun 3
the Assiniboine language, a Siouan language historically spoken by the Assiniboine people.
Some elders still remember words of the assiniboin.
Synonyms
Noun 4
a historical/archaic variant name used in English or French sources for the Assiniboine River or the people (variant of 'Assiniboine').
Early maps labeled the river as the assiniboin.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/03 16:08