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Today it means

igloo

a dome-shaped shelter traditionally built from blocks of snow

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Where does the word "igloo" come from? It comes from Inuktitut iglu, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).

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Where does the word "igloo" come from? It comes from Inuktitut iglu, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).

Igloo’s story begins in Inuktitut: iglu meant “house, dwelling.” Meaning "house" or "dwelling" generally. It reached English by 1800s as igloo. Narrowed to mean specifically a dome-shaped snow house. Today, igloo means a dome-shaped shelter traditionally built from blocks of snow.

  1. Stage 1 · Inuktitut · ancient iglu "house, dwelling", meaning "house" or "dwelling" generally.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1800s igloo "a dome-shaped snow house", narrowed to mean specifically a dome-shaped snow house.

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