Definition

Noun 1. The Yuman language spoken by the Cocopa people: A Native American language belonging to the Yuman language family, traditionally spoken by the Cocopa people. 2. A member of a North American Indian people living around the mouth of the Colorado River: An individual belonging to an indigenous nation whose traditional homeland is in the region where the Colorado River flows into the Gulf of California, in what is now the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.

Usage Examples

• As a language:
  • Linguists are working to document Cocopa before it becomes extinct.
  • The word for "water" in Cocopa is "ha".
• As a person:
  • She is Cocopa and is an advocate for her community's water rights.
  • The Cocopa have lived along the Colorado River delta for centuries.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used attributively as a noun modifier to describe things pertaining to the Cocopa people or their culture.
  • We studied Cocopa basket-weaving techniques.
  • The Cocopa reservation is located in Arizona.

Variants and Related Words

• Cocopah: An alternate spelling for Cocopa.
• Kwapa: Another name historically used for the Cocopa people.
• Yuman: Refers to the larger language family to which Cocopa belongs, or to the peoples who speak these languages.

Synonyms

• (For the people): There are no direct synonyms, as it is a specific ethnonym. In a general context, one might use "indigenous person of the Colorado River delta region."
• (For the language): There are no synonyms; it is the name of a specific language.

Related Phrases

• Cocopa Tribe: The organized political and cultural entity of the Cocopa people.
• Colorado River Delta: The geographical region historically inhabited by the Cocopa.

Noun

1. the Yuman language spoken by the Cocopa
2. a member of a North American Indian people living around the mouth of the Colorado River