wetu
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English
Etymology
Borrowed from Massachusett wetu.
Pronunciation
Noun
wetu (plural wetus or wetu)
- (US) A dwelling, a domed hut similar to a wigwam, used by some Native Americans in the northeastern United States, especially the Wampanoag.
- 2001, Donald M. Silver, Patricia J. Wynne, The Pilgrims, the Mayflower & more; grades 1-3, page 17:
- Wetus ranged in size between about 10 to 15 feet in diameter. As many as ten people lived inside.
- 2003, Janet Riehecky, The Wampanoag: The People of the First Light, page 13:
- To make a wetu, the Wampanoag set poles made from cedar saplings into the ground. They bent the poles over and covered them with cattail reeds or bark. A wetu was either circular or oval. Most wetu were about 20 to 30 feet (6 to 9 meters)
- 2005, Janey Levy, The Wampanoag of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, page 22:
- Wetus were commonly about 12 feet (3.7 m) wide and 14 to 20 feet (4.3 to 6.1 m) long. Sometimes three or four families shared a single house. These wetus could be up to 100 feet (30.4 m) long and 30 feet (9.1 m) wide.
- 2008, Frances H. Kennedy, American Indian Places: A Historical Guidebook, page 31:
- In one corner of the village a man is emerging from a sweat-house; in the village's center a child sleeps in a wetu while a little boy on the roof hides from his dog, their only domesticated animal. A woman in mourning speaks to the sachem.
See also
- traditional Native American dwellings:
- hogan (used by the Navajo in the southwestern United States)
- igloo (used by the Inuit, made of snow)
- teepee (used in the Great Plains)
- tupik (used by the Inuit during the summer)
- wetu (used by the Wampanoag in the northeastern United States)
- wickiup (used in the southwestern and western United States)
- wigwam (used in the northeastern United States)
Massachusett
Pronunciation
Noun
wetu
Descendants
- → English: wetu
Narragansett
Etymology
The word wetu has the form of a third-person verb; compare *wek and see the footnote for more. Both are likely ultimately related to Proto-Algonquian *wi·kiwa·ʔmi, and hence English wigwam. Compare Massachusett wétu (“house”), wetuomash (“houses”).
Noun
wêtu inan
Declension
Declension of wetu (inanimate, 3 forms attested)
| singular | plural | locative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| unpossessed | *-etu | *-etu-omash | *-etu-omuck |
| possessed forms | |||
| first-person (my) | *netu | *netu-omash | *netu-omuck |
| second-person (your) | *ketu | *ketu-omash | *ketu-omuck |
| third-person (his, her) | wêtu | *wetu-omash | wetuômuck wetuómuck |
Related terms
References
- ^ James Hammond Trumbull (1866), A Key into the Language of America (annotated edition), page 119, footnote: "Wétu has the form of a verb in the indicative, which may be nearly translated by he is at home, he houses. Wék is the regularly-formed subjunctive or conditional third person singular of this verb,—when (or where) he is at home, chez lui."
- ^ James Hammond Trumbull (1903) “wétu”, in Natick Dictionary, Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page 191
Further reading
- Roger Williams (1643) A Key into the Language of America, London: Gregory Dexter, →OCLC, pages 3, 31, 179
- F. O'Brien & J. Jennings (2001) Introduction to the Narragansett Language, Newport: Aquidneck Indian Council, →LCCN, page 89
Polish
Pronunciation
Noun
wetu
Swahili
Adjective
wetu
- m class(I)/m class(III)/u class(XI) inflected form of -etu
- wa class(II) inflected form of -etu