Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A member of a Native American people formerly inhabiting the Platte River valley in south-central Nebraska and northern Kansas, with a present-day population in north-central Oklahoma. The Pawnee comprised a confederation of four relatively independent tribes living in permanent villages.
  • noun The Caddoan language of the Pawnee.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun See brandy-pawnee.
  • noun The person to whom a pawn is delivered as security; one who takes anything in pawn.
  • noun One of an Indian tribe which formerly dwelt principally in Nebraska and also in Kansas and Texas.
  • Of or relating to the Pawnees.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Law) One or two whom a pledge is delivered as security; one who takes anything in pawn.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun A near-extinct language of North America.
  • adjective Relating to the Pawnee people or language.
  • noun A person of Pawnee origin or descent.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the Caddoan language spoken by the Pawnee
  • noun a member of the Pawnee nation formerly living in Nebraska and Kansas but now largely in Oklahoma

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[North American French Pani, of Illinois origin, ultimately of Siouan origin.]

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Examples

  • In the name of Pawnee, she has already tended to an unsightly land pit, resurrected the town's dormant Harvest Festival, and gone head-to-head with the rival neighborhood of Eagleton over a shared park.

    Amy Poehler on the Emmys and the Evolution of Parks and Recreation’s Lovable Leader 2011

  • In “Parks and Rec”, Pawnee is a real city and KaBOOM! is fake, but in real life KaBOOM! in a real organization and Pawnee is a fake city. xD

    'Parks and Recreation' recap: Kaboom! | EW.com 2009

  • U.S. comedian, born Dan Whitney in Pawnee City, Nebraska, Larry the Cable Guy has successfully marketed his blue-collar-based humor to become one of the top grossing stand-up comedians working today.

    Five People Born on February 17 | myFiveBest 2010

  • It is claimed by those who have made a special study of this tribe that the name Pawnee is derived from pa-rik-i, a horn.

    The Great Salt Lake Trail Henry Inman 1868

  • The word Pawnee signifies "_exiled_," therefore it does not follow that the three tribes bearing the same name belong to the same nation.

    Travels and Adventures of Monsieur Violet Frederick Marryat 1820

  • Of course it wasn’t all torture humor in Pawnee last night.

    'Parks and Recreation' recap: Greg Pikitis must die | EW.com 2009

  • [Footnote 15: The word Pawnee signifies "_exiled_;" therefore it does not follow that the three tribes bearing the same name belong to the same nation.

    Monsieur Violet Frederick Marryat 1820

  • "I told you the Pawnee were the cleverest, " Jumping Snake repeated so often and so dolefully that the others wanted to silence him, but he was a senior chief with many coups and his lamentations continued.

    Centennial Michener, James 1974

  • "We Pawnee, " they told him, and he was reassured, for by this time the Pawnee were the plains Indians most trusted by the white man; during the remaining years of this century they would serve as scouts for the army and as the agency by which other tribes like the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Sioux would be brought under control.

    Centennial Michener, James 1974

  • They became agitated and assured him that any man who fought the Pawnee was a friend.

    Centennial Michener, James 1974

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