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Definition of Arawakan in English:

Arawakan

adjective

  • 1Relating to the Arawak people.

  • 2Denoting or belonging to a widely scattered family of languages spoken by the Arawak, most of which are now extinct or nearly so.

noun

mass noun

  • The Arawakan family of languages.

    • ‘Prior to the arrival of the Portuguese, the native population spoke languages belonging to at least four major language families: Arawakan, Gê, Carib, and Tupi-Guarani.’
    • ‘Rouse suggests that Arawakan and Cariban are more useful designations for these linguistic stocks.’
    • ‘The Tupí-Guaraní family of languages is next to the Arawakan in geographical extent.’

Pronunciation

Arawakan

/ˌarəˈwak(ə)n/