Ottawa

noun

Ot·​ta·​wa ˈä-tə-wə 

-ˌwä,

-ˌwȯ

variants or Odawa

ō-ˈdä-wə 

plural Ottawas or Ottawa or Odawas or Odawa

: a member of an Indigenous people of Michigan and southern Ontario

Word History

Etymology

French Outaoua, from Ojibwa (eastern dialect) ota·wa·

First Known Use

circa 1665, in the meaning defined above

Geographical Definition

Ottawa

geographical name

Ot·​ta·​wa ˈä-tə-wə 

-ˌwä,

-ˌwȯ

1

river 696 miles (1120 kilometers) long in southeastern Ontario and southern Quebec, Canada, flowing east into the Saint Lawrence River

2

city and capital of Canada in southeastern Ontario on the Ottawa River and the Rideau Canal population 812,129