Canoe Is One of the First American Words in English
A canoe is a light narrow boat paddled with a single blade. Its name came from the Caribbean, through Spanish, in the 1550s.
A canoe is a light narrow boat, paddled with a single-bladed paddle. The word is Taíno, from the Caribbean, borrowed into Spanish as *canoa* by Columbus's crew and into English by the 1550s — one of the earliest American words in the language, alongside *hammock*, *hurricane*, *maize* and *barbecue*. The paddle is what separates a canoe from a kayak: a canoe paddle has one blade, a kayak paddle two.
- A light narrow boat. *A birchbark canoe.*
- To travel by canoe. *They canoed downriver.*
- Canoeist — the paddler. *An experienced canoeist.*
- Kayak — the enclosed cousin. *A sea kayak.*
- Taíno — the source language. *A Taíno word.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | canoe | A wooden canoe. |
| Plural | canoes | Six canoes. |
| Verb | canoe | We canoed all day. |
| Agent | canoeist | A canoeist. |
| Spanish | canoa | The Spanish form. |
- They paddled the canoe upstream.Boating.
- Canoe entered English in the 1550s.History.
- A canoe paddle has a single blade.The distinction.
Caribbean words in everyday English
- Canoe — Taíno *canoa*
- Hurricane — Taíno *huracán*
- Hammock — Taíno *hamaca*
- Barbecue — Taíno *barbacoa*, a wooden frame
- Maize — Taíno *mahiz*
Spanish *canoa*, from Taíno, an Arawakan language of the Caribbean. English recorded it from the mid-1500s.
What is the difference between a canoe and a kayak?
A canoe is open and paddled with a single-bladed paddle; a kayak is enclosed and paddled with a double blade.
Where does the word canoe come from?
From Taíno, a Caribbean language, via Spanish canoa. It is one of the earliest American loanwords in English.