Word.ws English Dictionary

wickiup

UK/ˈwɪkɪʌp/US/ˈwɪk.i.ʌp/

wickiup noun: a domed hut, similar to a wigwam, used by some seminomadic Native American tribes, particularly in the southwestern and western United States.

wickiup: a domed hut, similar to a wigwam, used by some seminomadic Native American tribes, particularly in...
Image: Edward S. Curtis, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun

wickiup (plural wickiups)

  1. A domed hut, similar to a wigwam, used by some seminomadic Native American tribes, particularly in the southwestern and western United States.
    • They say his real name is Cimarron Seven, of the Choctaw Indian family of Sevens; he was raised in a tepee; a wickiup had been his bedroom, a blanket his robe.1930, Edna Ferber, Cimarron, page 11
    • At that time there were still indians camped on the western plains and late in the day he passed in his riding a scattered group of their wickiups propped upon that scoured and trembling waste.1992, Cormac McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses

Forms of wickiup

pluralwickiups
alternative formwakiup
alternative formwikiup

Origin of wickiup

Wickiup-like structures were built by many Native American peoples throughout the Southwestern United States, and terms similar to wickiup are present "among Native Americans in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Idaho, and California", but the source of the word appears to be Fox wîkiyâpi (“house”). Alternatively, it may be a variant of wikiwam (“wigwam”). Either way, its ultimate origin is the Proto-Algonquian root *wi·kiwa·ʔmi (“house”). Doublet of wigwam.

Questions about wickiup

What does wickiup mean?
Wickiup means a domed hut, similar to a wigwam, used by some seminomadic Native American tribes, particularly in the southwestern and western United States.
What part of speech is wickiup?
Wickiup is a noun.
How do you pronounce wickiup?
Wickiup is pronounced /ˈwɪkɪʌp/ (UK).
What is the plural of wickiup?
The plural of wickiup is wickiups.

Words near wickiup in the dictionary

  1. Wickhams
  2. wickie
  3. wickies
  4. wicking
  5. wickings
  6. wickiup
  7. wickiups
  8. Wickizer
  9. Wickizers
  10. wickless
  11. Wicklewood

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: wickiup (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.

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