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Where does the word "toboggan" come from? It comes from Mi'kmaq topaghan, and was adopted directly into English (1700s-1800s).
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Where does the word "toboggan" come from? It comes from Mi'kmaq topaghan, and was adopted directly into English (1700s-1800s).
Toboggan’s story begins in Mi'kmaq: topaghan meant “a sled.” The name for a sled made of bound wooden strips. It reached English by 1700s-1800s as toboggan. Mi'kmaq 'tophagan', a sled made of bark; toboggan runs became a Montreal pastime. Today, toboggan means a long, flat sled without runners, used for sliding over snow.
- Stage 1 · Mi'kmaq · pre-1600s topaghan "a sled", the name for a sled made of bound wooden strips.
- Stage 2 · English · 1700s-1800s toboggan "a long, flat sled without runners", Mi'kmaq 'tophagan', a sled made of bark; toboggan runs became a Montreal pastime.