teton
teton Lexical Profile
• noun
American A major mountain range of the Rocky Mountains extending through western Wyoming in the United States, famous for its dramatic, jagged peaks.
"We spent the summer hiking and photographing the spectacular peaks of the Grand Teton."
American A member of the Lakota nation, the largest and westernmost of the three major divisions of the Sioux people in North America.
"The Teton Sioux historically lived as nomadic buffalo hunters across the vast expanses of the Great Plains."
Word Nuance & Usage
Almost exclusively capitalized as 'Teton' in English, as it functions as a proper noun referring either to the Wyoming mountain range or the Native American people.
• Rhymes for teton
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The mountain name derives from the French 'téton' (breast), given by early French-speaking trappers referring to the shape of the peaks. The name of the indigenous people is a distinct Anglicization of the Dakota ethnonym 'Thítȟuŋwaŋ', meaning 'dwellers on the prairie'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.