Paiute

noun

Pai·​ute ˈpī-ˌyüt How to pronounce Paiute (audio)
variants or less commonly Piute
1
plural Paiute or Paiutes also Piute or Piutes : a member of a group of Indigenous peoples originally inhabiting western and southern parts of the U.S. Great Basin
2
: either of the two Uto-Aztecan languages of the Paiute people

Examples of Paiute in a Sentence

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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.
Her film centers on Ku Stevens, a 17-year-old Indigenous athlete who grew up on a Paiute reservation in Nevada. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2025 The Cottonwood Fire in Utah's Paiute and Beaver counties had spread to about 92,254 acres with 0% containment. — Tristan Maglunog, ABC News, 28 June 2026 That quake, called the Parker Butte Earthquake, was located in a desert area on the Walker River Paiute Indian Reservation. — Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 4 Dec. 2025 The Walker River Paiute in Nevada was the first to receive one of the grants to source local food, including $249,091 in 2022. — Mary Hudetz, ProPublica, 30 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for Paiute

Word History

Etymology

alteration of Pie-Utaw, alteration of Paiuches, plural, from American Spanish Payuchis Southern Paiutes

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Paiute was in 1827

Rhymes for Paiute

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Browse Nearby Words

paissa
Paiute
paixtle
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Cite this Entry

“Paiute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Paiute. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

Paiute

noun
Pai·​ute ˈpī-ˌ(y)üt How to pronounce Paiute (audio)
: a member of an Indigenous people originally of Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California

More from Merriam-Webster on Paiute

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Paiute

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