nita'
The Chickasaw word for "bear" is nita'.
Meaning: large mammal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chickasaw | Note |
|---|---|
| nita' | |
| nita' losa' | black bear |
This is the spelling in the Chickasaw dictionary by Pamela Munro and Catherine Willmond, and the Chickasaw Nation uses it in its own language lessons. It names the animal in general.
Which one should you use?
For a black bear, add the word for black after it: nita' losa'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Choctaw, a closely related language, has the same word for bear, nita, without the final glottal stop.
How do you pronounce it?
Say it in two syllables, /ni.taʔ/. The apostrophe at the end marks a glottal stop, a short catch in the throat like the break in "uh-oh".
Did you know?
- The Chickasaw Nation's guide to the mounds of the Chickasaw homeland gives the Chickasaw name of Bear Creek as Nita' Abookoshi.
Examples in context
- nita' losa'Black bear
- Nita' AbookoshiBear Creek (a place name in the Chickasaw homeland)
