Definition

1. Noun:
   • A member of the Shoshonean people of Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico: "Ute" refers to a person belonging to a Native American tribe historically located in the southwestern United States.
   • The Shoshonean language spoken by the Ute people: "Ute" also refers to the language spoken by this group of people.

Usage Examples

• Noun (referring to a person):
  • The museum exhibit honors the history and culture of the Ute.
  • He is a Ute and teaches traditional crafts.
• Noun (referring to the language):
  • Fewer people are fluent in Ute today.
  • She is studying Ute to help preserve the language.

Advanced Usage

• Used attributively: The term "Ute" is often used as an adjective to describe things related to the Ute people or their culture.
  • The Ute tribe has a reservation in southwestern Colorado.
  • We visited a Ute heritage site.

Variants and Related Words

• Utes (n): The plural form referring to the people collectively.
  • The Utes were skilled hunters and gatherers.
• Utean (adj): A less common adjective form meaning pertaining to the Utes or their languages.
  • The Utean linguistic group is part of the larger Numic family.

Synonyms

• Numic speaker: Refers to a speaker of a language in the Numic branch of the Uto-Aztecan family, which includes Ute.
• Shoshonean: A broader term for peoples or languages of this subgroup, though "Ute" is more specific.

Notes on Meaning

• The word "Ute" specifically denotes an ethnolinguistic group. It is a proper noun and is typically capitalized.
• It is distinct from the informal Australian and New Zealand English term for a utility vehicle or pickup truck, which is a different homograph.

Noun

1. the Shoshonean language spoken by the Utes
2. a member of the Shoshonean people of Utah and Colorado and New Mexico