noun
Pocahontas
noun
1
Used, often loosely or historically, to refer to a Native American woman, after the historical Powhatan figure Pocahontas.
"The painting was labeled simply as a portrait of a pocahontas from the 1700s."
How to Use Pocahontas
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishRefers to the historical figure Pocahontas, and is sometimes used generically for a Native American woman.
When to use it
Using it as a generic common noun can be seen as reductive or disrespectful; the proper name for the historical person is far more common usage.
Word Forms
Pocahontases plural
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The painting was labeled simply as a portrait of a _____ from the 1700s.
Etymology
From the name Pocahontas, a Powhatan name meaning roughly "she is playful."