American Indians
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The word is Algonkin, and means either the Great Good Spirit or the Great Evil Spirit.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “American Indians” mean?
The word is Algonkin, and means either the Great Good Spirit or the Great Evil Spirit.
Is “American Indians” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.