ki·o·wa \ˈkīəˌwā, -ˌwä, -əwə\noun (pluralkiowaorkiowas) Usage: usually capitalized Etymology: Kiowa Gâ-i-gwŭ, Kâ-i-gwŭ, literally, principal people 1. a.: a Tanoan people in adjoining parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas b.: a member of such people 2.: the language of the Kiowa people