powwow
powwow Lexical Profile
powwow Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American A North American Indigenous social and ceremonial gathering featuring traditional dancing, singing, drumming, and community celebration.
"Dancers from dozens of tribes across the continent traveled to attend the annual summer powwow."
North American An informal meeting, conference, or discussion among a group of people to exchange ideas or make plans.
"The project managers held a quick powwow in the hallway to coordinate the afternoon schedule."
North American Among Native Americans (historically among Algonquian peoples), a spiritual leader, healer, or medicine person, or a ceremony conducted for curing illness.
"Early colonial chronicles recorded how the village powwow led prayers and healing rites for the sick."
• verb
North American To hold an informal meeting, conference, or consultation to discuss a matter.
"The coaches powwowed on the sideline for a few minutes before deciding on their strategy."
North American To participate in a Native American ceremonial gathering or powwow.
"Their family spends much of the summer traveling across the Northern Plains to powwow with relatives and friends."
Word Nuance & Usage
Because a powwow is a sacred and culturally significant Native American gathering, using the word casually to mean a trivial workplace meeting or quick chat is increasingly considered culturally insensitive in professional contexts.
• Rhymes for powwow
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the early 17th century from Narragansett or Massachusett 'powwaw', meaning a spiritual leader or healer, derived from a Proto-Algonquian root meaning 'to dream' or 'to divine'. English colonists extended the word from the healer to the ceremonial gathering itself.