Eskimon.adj.

Etymology: In α. forms apparently partly (i) (in quot. 1584 at sense A. 1) < Spanish esquimaos (plural), apparently denoting the Inuit of Labrador (although this is first attested later: 1625 (see note); now esquimales , singular esquimal ), and partly (ii) (especially in later use) < French Esquimaux (plural), in early use also denoting some Algonquian peoples (1611 as Excomminquois , 1632 as Esquimaux ; now also with singular form Esquimau ); both < Montagnais (Old Innu) aïachkimeȣ , aïachtchimeȣ , denoting a Micmac person (see below). In β. forms (iii) < Cree ayaskīmēw, denoting an Inuit, Micmac or Huron person, cognate with Montagnais aïachkimeȣ, of uncertain origin, perhaps ultimately derived from ask- raw, and perhaps related to a verb with the sense ‘to make the (rawhide) webbing of snow shoes’.The word apparently first entered the European languages in the multilingual context of the 16th-cent. Basque-led whaling expeditions to Labrador, and the subsequent trade extending south as far as the Gulf of St Lawrence. The source of the earliest Spanish evidence (1625) makes historical reference to such an expedition. The early French form Excomminquois may show folk-etymological influence from excommuniquer excommunicate v. Former suggestion for the further etymology. An older suggestion (going back to the 18th cent.) that the Montagnais name makes reference to the consumption of raw meat poses semantic, phonological, and morphological problems and is no longer widely accepted. Self-designation. The peoples of the Arctic have several self-designations; compare e.g. the forms cited at Inuit n., Inupiaq n., and Yupik n. Variant forms. Forms ending in -aux reflect the French plural, but (in English) are also used attributively and as singular forms. In recent use such forms typically appear either in historical contexts or with reference to the breed of dog (compare sense A. 3 and Eskimo dog n. at Compounds). With the β. forms compare later husky n.¹