Definition of WENDIGO

wendigo

Plural: wendigo, wendigoes, wendigos

Noun

  • A mythical evil spirit or monster from Algonquian folklore.
  • A malevolent and violent cannibal spirit found in Anishinaabe, Ojibwe, and Cree mythology, which is said to inhabit the body of a living person and possess him or her to commit murder.
  • Synonym of splake (“kind of hybrid fish”).

Examples

  • Playing WENDIGO on a triple-word score felt like unleashing a monstrous point total.

Origin / Etymology

Borrowed from Ojibwe wiindigoo, from Proto-Algonquian *wi·nteko·wa (“owl; malevolent spirit, cannibalistic monster”). Compare Cree wihtikow, ᐃᐧᐦᑎᑯᐤ (iyhtikow, “greedy person; cannibal; giant man-eating monster”).

Scrabble Score: 12

wendigo: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
wendigo: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
wendigo: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 14

wendigo: valid Words With Friends Word