ENGLISH
REFERENCE

cheyenne

n. C / U
C2 Proficiency US //ʃaɪˈɛn// cheyenne

n. a member of a Native American group that originally lived in the Great Plains of the United States. It also refers to the language they speak.

n. a member of an Indigenous people of the Great Plains, historically inhabiting areas of present-day Minnesota, Montana, and Wyoming. When referring to the language, it belongs to the Algonquian family.


SIMPLE

The Cheyenne people have a rich history in the Great Plains.

CONTEXTUAL

Historians study the migration patterns of the Cheyenne from the Great Lakes region to the western plains.

COMPLEX

The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two unified tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese, who maintain a distinct cultural identity through their language and traditional ceremonies.

Origin

Borrowed from French Cheyenne, from Dakota šahíyena, from Dakota šaia (“to speak incoherently”), from Dakota ša (“red”) and Dakota ya (“to speak”).

Usage

When referring to the people as a group, it can be used as a collective noun; when referring to the language, it is uncountable.

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