The weather’s turned colder this week, and my quiz-compiling thoughts turned to the words which have arrived into English from the Inuit peoples of the far frozen North.

We’re all familiar with the igloo (‘a dome-shaped Eskimo dwelling, typically built of blocks of compacted snow’), and the kayak (‘a canoe made of a framework of light wood covered with sealskins sewn together’), but there are many others beside. Can you match the words to their dictionary definitions?

You'll find a link to the answers at the foot of the page, but no peeking until you've guessed them all!

1. A breathing-hole in the ice, made by a seal.

2. A condition affecting the Inuit peoples in winter, characterized by an episode of wild excitement and irrational behaviour followed by a period of stupor or unconsciousness, sometimes with apparent seizures.

3. A dog-sledge used by the people of Labrador.

4. An Eskimo woman's knife having a crescent-shaped blade.

5. A long boot of sealskin worn by Eskimo peoples.

6. A non-Inuit person, specifically a person of European descent.

7. A peak of rock that is covered by ice but remains distinguishable.

8. The skin and outer blubber of a whale, used as food by the Inuit.

9. A structure of rough stones stacked in the form of a human figure, traditionally used by the Inuit as a landmark or commemorative sign, or to drive caribou toward hunters.

10. A type of small doll resembling an arctic owl, adopted as a distinctively Canadian symbol or souvenir.

All done? Click the picture for the answers.

Icy's Quizzes and More Archive

Icy North

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