ENGLISH
REFERENCE

navajo

n. C / U
C1 Advanced US //ˈnævəˌhoʊ// nava·jo

n. a member of a Native American people from the Southwestern United States. It also refers to the language they speak.

n. a member of a Native American people of the Southwestern United States, or the Athabaskan language spoken by them. When referring to the people, it is often used as a collective plural.


SIMPLE

She is learning to speak Navajo.

CONTEXTUAL

The Navajo Nation is the largest land area held by a Native American tribe in the United States.

COMPLEX

During World War II, the military recruited Navajo speakers to serve as code talkers because their complex language was undecipherable to enemy forces.

Synonyms
Origin

Borrowed from Spanish navajo, from Tewa navahu (“field adjoining an arroyo”).

Usage

When referring to the people, the plural can be 'Navajo' or 'Navajos'. Always capitalized as it is a proper name.

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