What's In A Word?

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"Squawk Box" Is Not Redundant

Debunked: The word "squaw" is a Native American term for the female genitalia.

"Squaw" is a pidgin term derived from the Narragansett word for woman. It has cognates in the other Algonquin languages. While it has never referred specifically to any part of the anatomy, it is still considered by many to be offensive in the same way that calling an English-speaking female "woman" is offensive and non-Algonquin Indians may be offended by it because it is not a word in their language--like calling a Frenchwoman "Frau."

References:

• Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition
• Goddard, Ives, "The Use of Pidgins and Jargons on the East Coast of North America," in "The Language Encounter in the Americas, 1492-1800" edited by Edward G. Gray and Norman Fiering. Berghahn Books, John Carter Brown Library, 2000