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pem·mi·can also pem·i·can

(pĕmĭ-kən)

1. A food prepared by Native Americans from lean dried strips of meat pounded into paste, mixed with fat and berries, and pressed into small cakes.

2. A food made chiefly from beef, dried fruit, and suet, used as emergency rations.

[Cree pimihkān, from pimihkēw, he makes grease, makes pemmican, from Proto-Algonquian *pemihkēwa : *pemyi, grease + *-ehkē-, to make, gather.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

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The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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