tepee

noun

te·​pee ˈtē-(ˌ)pē 

variants or teepee or less commonly tipi

: a conical tent usually consisting of skins and used especially by American Indians of the Great Plains

Illustration of tepee

Examples of tepee in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Harney confiscated tepees and buffalo meat for his expedition. —Tim Madigan, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024

Custom sheets, blankets and pillows are placed immaculately onto twin-sized air mattresses underneath tepees. —Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 11 Aug. 2024

There’s a twilight canoe outing on Bow River for a quintessential Canadian moment, white water rafting that ends with a night in Anishinabe-style tepees, excursions on float planes, and even a day of wine tasting in the Okanagan valley. —Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 10 Feb. 2024

These aren’t ‘tepee rings,’ these are vision quest circles. —Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Dakota t^hípi, from t^hi- to dwell

First Known Use

1743, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

tepee

noun

te·​pee

variants or teepee also tipi

ˈtē-pē

: a cone-shaped tent usually of skins used as a home especially by Indigenous people of the Great Plains

Etymology

from t^hípi, a word in the language of the Dakotas meaning "a dwelling tent," from t^hí- "to dwell"