Yupik

noun

Yu·​pik ˈyü-(ˌ)pik How to pronounce Yupik (audio)
plural Yupik also Yupiks or Yupiit ˈyü-ˌpēt How to pronounce Yupik (audio)
1
: a member of a group of Indigenous peoples of chiefly southwestern Alaska and eastern Siberia
2
: the languages of the Yupik people

Examples of Yupik in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Although shaded eyeglasses made from smoky quartz are said to date back to 12th-century China, sun-protective eyewear may have first emerged among the Indigenous people of the Arctic, such as the ancestors of the Inuit or Yupik tribes. Discover Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024 That leaves only two native Alaskan languages still being learned by children and thus not yet doomed: Siberian Yupik, with 1,000 speakers, and Central Yupik, with a grand total of 10,000 speakers. Jared Diamond, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 Residents filled the gym at John Apangalook School in Gambell, home to the King Polar Bears — or Qughsatkut in Siberian Yupik— sports teams. Mark Thiessen, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Apr. 2023 Heads bowed for an invocation offered in Siberian Yupik. Zachariah Hughes, Anchorage Daily News, 30 Mar. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Central Alaskan Yupik yúppik, literally, authentic person

First Known Use

1951, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of Yupik was in 1951

Dictionary Entries Near Yupik

Cite this Entry

“Yupik.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Yupik. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

Yupik

noun
Yu·​pik
ˈyü-(ˌ)pik
plural Yupik also Yupiks or Yupiit
ˈyü-ˌpēt
1
: a member of a group of Indigenous peoples of chiefly southwestern Alaska and eastern Siberia
2
: the language of the Yupik people

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