*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of igloo

From Inuktitut ᐃᒡᓗ (iclo, “house, building (of any kind)”), from Proto-Inuit *əɣlu, from Proto-Eskimo *əŋlu.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

A dome-shaped Inuit shelter, constructed of blocks cut from snow. · A cavity, or excavation, made in the snow by a seal, over its breathing hole in the sea ice. · A reinforced bunker for the storage of nuclear weapons. · A kind of airfreight cargo container.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Inuktitut ᐃᒡᓗ (iclo, “house, building (of any kind)”), from Proto-Inuit *əɣlu, from Proto-Eskimo *əŋlu.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "iu:ᐃᒡᓗ",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "iu",
        "3": "ᐃᒡᓗ",
        "gloss": "house, building (of any kind)"
      },
      "expansion": "Inuktitut ᐃᒡᓗ (iclo, “house, building (of any kind)”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "esx-inu-pro",
        "3": "*əɣlu"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Inuit *əɣlu"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "esx-esk-pro",
        "3": "*əŋlu"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Eskimo *əŋlu"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "iu:ᐃᒡᓗ",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Eskimo *əŋlu\nProto-Inuit *əɣlu\nInuktitut ᐃᒡᓗ (iclo)bor.\nEnglish igloo"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ᐃᒡᓗ",
      "ᐃᒡᓗ#Inuktitut"
    ],
    [
      "*əɣlu",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Inuit/əɣlu"
    ],
    [
      "*əŋlu",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Eskimo/əŋlu"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A dome-shaped Inuit shelter, constructed of blocks cut from snow.",
        "A cavity, or excavation, made in the snow by a seal, over its breathing hole in the sea ice.",
        "A reinforced bunker for the storage of nuclear weapons.",
        "A kind of airfreight cargo container."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "43ba880bd93eed4435ca662a6351bf03351186920f77ed0bd84b1aa834853085",
      "rawRecordSha256": "435097647ada99e38f47b35c35eafad0c17bc9af337d9f720632eb7511a3f39f",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 77409
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for igloo →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-aWdsb28