Algonquian

adjective

• denoting, belonging to, or relating to a family of North American Indian languages formerly spoken across a vast area from the Atlantic seaboard to the Great Lakes and the Great Plains.

noun

• 1the Algonquian family of languages.

• 2a speaker of any of the Algonquian languages.

  Algonquian is one of the largest groups of American Indian languages, including Abnaki, Mohegan, Pequot, Ojibwa, Cree, Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Fox, Menomini, and Delaware. Although the Algonquian languages are today spoken from the east coast of North America to the Rockies, the speakers are few and several of the languages are endangered. Many English words have been adopted from these languages, e.g., moccasin, moose, and toboggan