pawnee
pawnee Lexical Profile
pawnee Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A member of an Indigenous Plains people historically inhabiting the Platte River valley in present-day Nebraska and Kansas and now primarily based in Oklahoma (usually capitalized).
"The Pawnee were renowned across the Great Plains for their sophisticated astronomical knowledge and earth-lodge villages."
The Northern Caddoan language spoken by the Pawnee people (usually capitalized).
"Community elders and linguists have partnered to create digital learning materials to revitalize Pawnee among younger generations."
A person or entity to whom personal property is delivered as security for a loan or debt.
"Under the terms of the contract, the pawnee must keep the pledged watch in a secure vault until the debt is repaid."
• adjective
Of or relating to the Pawnee people, their culture, or their Caddoan language (usually capitalized).
"The museum exhibition featured traditional Pawnee star charts and finely crafted pottery."
Word Nuance & Usage
As a common noun in finance and law, 'pawnee' refers to the lender who receives a pawned item (as opposed to the 'pawner' or 'pawnor' who pledges it). When capitalized as 'Pawnee', it refers to the Indigenous Plains nation and its Caddoan language.
• Rhymes for pawnee
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The legal sense is formed in English from 'pawn' (from Old French 'pan', meaning pledge) plus the suffix '-ee'. The Indigenous ethnonym 'Pawnee' derives via French from a Caddoan or Siouan term, often connected to 'pariki' ('horn'), referring to the traditional manner of dressing the scalp lock.