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Canuck

nounInformal

A Canadian English slang term. Browse all Canadian slang.

What it means

  1. A Canadian. Used proudly by Canadians about themselves — it is a hockey team name and a wartime cartoon hero — though it has been used as a slur by outsiders.

In use

  • A few Canucks in the crowd, by the sound of it.

  • Proud Canuck, born and raised.

Where it comes from

In use since the 1830s; origin uncertain, with proposals ranging from Hawaiian to Iroquoian sources. The reclamation is thorough — Johnny Canuck was Canada's national personification long before the Vancouver hockey team took the name.

First attested: 1830s