“Some dictionaries do label squaw as offensive, but that reflects its derogatory usage, not its derivation. In fact, linguists agree that the etymological meaning of the word, a borrowing from the Massachusett language, is simply ‘woman,’ with no insulting implications. The link to genitalia was promulgated, with no evidence, in a 1973 polemic, and circulated broadly after being mentioned in a 1992 episode of Oprah.”
