biiwaabik

Ojibwe

Etymology

Equivalent to biiw- (“scatter, disperse”) +‎ -aabikw (“metal, mineral”). Related to Plains Cree pîwâpisk. (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “How exactly are they related? Is one a calque or loan of the other? Is it inherited?”)

Noun

biiwaabik inan (plural biiwaabikoon, diminutive biiwaabikoons, locative biiwaabikong, stem biiwaabikw-)

1. a piece of metal
2. iron

   Nawaj gozigwan iwe ashkikomaan apiich idash iwe biiwaabik.

   Lead is heavier than iron.

Derived terms

• biiwaabikowan (“be (made of) metal, inanimate subject”)
• biiwaabikowi (“be (made of) metal, animate subject”)

See also

• miskwaabik (“copper”)
• ashkikomaan (“lead”)

References

• The Ojibwe People's Dictionary https://ojibwe.lib.umn.edu/main-entry/biiwaabik-ni