"Squaw"

[Michael Quinion]

> Does anyone know when and why "squaw" became a derogatory term for a
> Native American female? According to the OED, the word comes in various
> forms from some Algonquin languages, but there is no sense or
> explanation for its derogatory meaning.

Essentially it's a modern artefact. You'll find some notes about this at

  http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-squ2.htm


--
Michael Quinion
Editor, World Wide Words
E-mail: wordseditor at worldwidewords.org
Web: http://www.worldwidewords.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org