Sioux
/sjuː/
Sioux proper noun: various formerly nomadic Native American tribes of the North American Great Plains.
Proper noun (1)
Sioux pl (plural only)
- Various formerly nomadic Native American tribes of the North American Great Plains.
- Crows and Sioux were enemies, but they did business together when it was worth while.1952, Dorothy M. Johnson, The Unbeliever; in Indian Country, London: Corgi, 1961, page 30
Proper noun (2)
Sioux
- A member of the Sioux tribe.
Proper noun (3)
Sioux
- The group of languages spoken by the Sioux.
- Her husband spoke to the Indian in halting Sioux, but Horse Ears was wise. He did not answer.1950, Dorothy M. Johnson, Flame on the Frontier; in Indian Country, London: Corgi, 1961, page 28
Origin of Sioux
From French Sioux, shortening of Nadouessioux, from Ojibwe naadawesiwag (“little snakes”), which could refer to the massasauga snake (Sistrurus catenatus), a small rattlesnake.
Words formed from Sioux
Phrases with Sioux
Words that rhyme with Sioux
Questions about Sioux
- What does Sioux mean?
- Sioux means various formerly nomadic Native American tribes of the North American Great Plains.
- What part of speech is Sioux?
- Sioux is a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce Sioux?
- Sioux is pronounced /sjuː/.
Words near Sioux in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: Sioux (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: De-Sioux3.ogg.
Cite this entry: “Sioux.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sioux. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.