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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

Dene en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /ˈdɛneɪ/

Etymology

Probably from Chipewyan, though most Athabaskan languages have a similar word meaning "person" that's often used as the name for the people who speak the language and/or the language itself. Doublet of Diné.

Meanings

  1. (plural, plural-only) An Athabascan people of Canada, especially of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
    • In the Northwest Territories, the languages with official status are English, French, Dëne Sųłıné (Chipewyan), Nēhiyawēwin (Cree), Dene Kǝdǝ́ (Northern Slavey), Dene Zhatıé (Southern Slavey), Dinjii Zhu’ Ginjik (Gwich’in), Inuinnaqtun, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun and Tłįcho. 2025, Marie-Ève Hudon, Language regimes in the Provinces and the Territories, Ottawa, Canada: Library of Parliament, page 30:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
Dené alternative lexicographic

Coordinates

Na-Dene

Deriveds

Dené-Caucasian

Relateds

Dene Valley · Deneology · Proto-Dene · Dene-Yeniseian · Diné

Synonyms

Chipewyan