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Inuit

Pronunciation: /ˈɪnjʊɪt, ˈɪnʊɪt/

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Definition of Inuit

noun

1 [as plural noun] the members of an indigenous people of northern Canada and parts of Greenland and Alaska.

2 [mass noun] the language of the Inuit, one of the three branches of the Eskimo-Aleut language family, with about 60,000 speakers. It is also known as Inupiaq or (especially to its speakers) as Inuktitut.

adjective

relating to the Inuit or their language.

Origin:

Inuit, plural of inuk 'person'

The peoples inhabiting the regions from the central Canadian Arctic to western Greenland prefer to be called Inuit rather than Eskimo, and this term now has official status in Canada. By analogy, the term Inuit is also used as a synonym for Eskimo in general. However, this latter use, in including people from Siberia who are not Inupiaq-speakers, is, strictly speaking, not accurate. See also Eskimo (usage).

Inuit in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of Inuit in the US English dictionary

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