manitou

Meaning

Noun

• A god or spirit as the object of religious awe or ritual among some American Indians.

Origin

• From Pidgin Delaware Manétto, from Unami manëtu () and Munsee manutoow (later influenced by French manitou, from Cree/Montagnais manito꞉w); from Proto-Algonquian *maneto·wa ("supernatural being").