Standard Lemma guide

wigwam

noun · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈwɪɡwɑːm/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: W IH1 G W AA0 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A dwelling having an arched framework overlaid with bark, hides, or mats, used by Native Americans in the northeastern United States.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any more or less similar dwelling used by indigenous people in other parts of the world.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated, possibly

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To dry (flax or straw) by standing it outside in the shape of a wigwam.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

a Native American lodge frequently having an oval shape and covered with bark or hides

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: lodge, indian lodge

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Abenaki wigwôm (“house”) or Penobscot wigwom (“house”), from Proto-Algonquian *wi·kiwa·ʔmi (“house”). Doublet of wickiup.

Across languages

Translations

21 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Abenaki: wigwôm — Native American dwelling
  • Blackfoot: ookóówa — Native American dwelling
  • Catalan: wigwam — Native American dwelling
  • Cheyenne: mâhëö'o — Native American dwelling
  • Chinese Mandarin: 維格沃姆 /维格沃姆 (wéigéwòmǔ) — Native American dwelling
  • Dutch: wigwam — Native American dwelling
  • French: wigwam — Native American dwelling
  • German: Wigwam — Native American dwelling
  • Japanese: ウィグワム (wiguwamu) — Native American dwelling
  • Loup A: ȣichiȣam — Native American dwelling
  • Miami: wiikiaami — Native American dwelling
  • Mi'kmaq: wikuom — Native American dwelling
  • Ojibwe: wiigiwaam — Native American dwelling
  • Ojibwe: miigiwaam — Native American dwelling
  • Penobscot: wigwom — Native American dwelling
  • Polish: wigwam — Native American dwelling
  • Potawatomi: wigwam — Native American dwelling
  • Russian: вигва́м (vigvám) — Native American dwelling
  • Spanish: toldo — Native American dwelling
  • Swedish: wigwam — Native American dwelling
  • Unami: wikëwam — Native American dwelling