n., pl., Chipewyan, or -ans.
- A Native American people made up of numerous autonomous bands inhabiting a large area of northern Canada north of the Churchill River. Formerly nomadic caribou hunters, the Chipewyan became settled fur traders during the 18th century.
- A member of this people.
- The Athabaskan language of the Chipewyan.
[Cree čīpwayān, parka wearer : cīpw-, pointed + ayān, skin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
