apache

IPA/əˈpætʃi/
KK[əpˈætʃi]IPA/əˈpætʃi/

apache — noun

  • apachesingular
  • apachesplural

1. any of the Native American groups whose homelands lie in what is now the southwe

1.noun
Definition

any of the Native American groups whose homelands lie in what is now the southwestern United States, including Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of Texas and Oklahoma.

Example

The Apache lived across the deserts and mountains of present-day Arizona long before Spanish settlers arrived.

plural form: 'the Apache' for the people as a whole

Mrs. Ortega's history class studied how the Apache resisted attempts to take their land in the 19th century.

use as a collective subject in a historical context

Common collocations
  • the Apache people
  • Apache homelands
  • Apache language
  • Apache traditions

Grammar Patterns

the Apache

Apache + noun (e.g. Apache leader, Apache language)

Usage Note

Always capitalised. Often appears with the definite article ('the Apache') when referring to the peoples as a whole. Distinguish from sense 2, which names a single person rather than the group.

Common Mistakes

A apache lived in Arizona.
The Apache lived in Arizona.
when speaking of the peoples as a group, use 'the Apache' with a capital A.
apache art
Apache art
the word is a proper noun and must be capitalised.

2. a single person whose family or ancestry connects them to the Apache as an Indig

2.noun
Definition

a single person whose family or ancestry connects them to the Apache as an Indigenous community of the southwestern United States.

Example

Linnea's grandfather was an Apache who grew up on a reservation in eastern Arizona.

singular use with indefinite article: 'an Apache'

The novel's main character is a young Apache learning the songs his grandmother once sang.

modifier-style description: 'a young Apache'

Common collocations
  • an Apache elder
  • an Apache scout
  • Apache writer
  • Apache artist

Grammar Patterns

a/an Apache

Apache + noun (e.g. Apache scout, Apache elder)

Usage Note

Used with 'a/an' for one person and pluralised as 'Apaches' for several individuals. Distinguish from sense 1, which refers to the peoples as a whole and rarely takes 'a/an'.

Common Mistakes

He is apache.
He is an Apache.' or 'He is Apache.
use the article, or use 'Apache' as an adjective; either way, capitalise it.
Three Apache joined the meeting.
Three Apaches joined the meeting.
when counting individuals, take the regular plural -s.

Word family

  • Apachean
    adjective

Common collocations

Nouns

  • Apache people
  • Apache language
  • Apache nation
  • Apache reservation
  • Apache elder

Phrases

  • the Apache peoples
  • an Apache community

Prepositions

  • of the Apache
  • among the Apache

Etymology

Zuni (proposed)SpanishEnglish

The English word entered the language in the 18th century, borrowed through Spanish 'Apache' from a name used by neighbouring peoples to refer to these Indigenous groups. One widely cited source is the Zuni word 'apachu', meaning 'enemy', though Apache communities themselves use their own names, such as 'Diné' or 'Nde', meaning 'the people'.