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dene

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dene¹

  • /diːn/

Sounds like dean, Deane · Rhymes with -iːn

Where it comes from

From Middle English dene, from Old English dene.

noun denes · dean · den

  1. Northumbria A valley, especially the deep valley of a stream or rivulet.

dene²

  • /diːn/

Sounds like dean, Deane · Rhymes with -iːn

Where it comes from

Perhaps related to Middle Low German düne (“dune”).

noun denes

  1. a sand dune by the seashore

Dene³

  • /ˈdɛneɪ/

Rhymes with -ɛneɪ

Where it comes from

Probably from Chipewyan, though most Athabaskan languages have a similar word meaning "person" that's often used as the name for the people who speak the language and/or the language itself. Doublet of Diné.

noun Dené

  1. plural, plural only An Athabascan people of Canada, especially of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. In the Northwest Territories, the languages with official status are English, French, Dëne Sųłıné (Chipewyan), Nēhiyawēwin (Cree), Dene Kǝdǝ́ (Northern Slavey), Dene Zhatıé (Southern Slavey), Dinjii Zhu’ Ginjik (Gwich’in), Inuinnaqtun, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun and Tłįcho.

    Similar: Chipewyan

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MLA

"dene." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/dene. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

dene. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/dene

Chicago

"dene." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/dene.

BibTeX
@misc{dene_2026,
  title = {dene},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/dene},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}