Inuit
[
in
-oo-it, -yoo-]
/ˈɪn u ɪt, -yu-/
noun
,
plural
Inuits
(
especially collectively
)
Inuit
for 1.
1.
a member of the Eskimo peoples inhabiting northernmost North America from northern Alaska to eastern Canada and Greenland.
2.
the language of the Inuit, a member of the Eskimo-Aleut family comprising a variety of dialects.
Also,
Innuit
.
Also called
Inupik
.
Origin
1755-65;
<
Inuit:
people, plural of
inuk
person
Usage note
See
Eskimo
,
Indian.
British Dictionary definitions for
Inuit
Inuit
/
ˈɪnjuːɪt
/
noun
(
pl
)
-it,
-its
1.
any of several Native peoples of N America or Greenland, as distinguished from those from Asia or the Aleutian Islands (who are still generally referred to as Eskimos); the preferred term for
Eskimo
in N America
Compare
Yupik
2.
the language of these peoples; Inuktitut
Eskimo
Word Origin
from Inuktitut
inuit
the people, pl of
inuk
a man