calumet

[ kal-yuh-met, kal-yuh-met ]

/ ˈkæl yəˌmɛt, ˌkæl yəˈmɛt /

a long-stemmed, ornamented tobacco pipe used by North American Indians on ceremonial occasions, especially in token of peace.

Also called peace pipe.

Origin of calumet

1710–20; < French, orig. dial. (Norman, Picard): pipe stem, a by-form of French chalumeau chalumeau, with suffix altered to -et -et

If anything supplied tobacco for the calumet of the ex parte peace which he had made with his son, it was this theatrical part.

Titan: A Romance v. 1 (of 2) |Jean Paul Friedrich Richter
In vain I showed the calumet, and made gestures to explain that we had not come as enemies.

Explorers and Travellers |Adolphus W. Greely
The calumet was lighted, and passed around to each person present.

Christopher Carson |John S. C. Abbott
Calumet is an Old Norman word for chalumeau, reed, pipe, a diminutive from Lat.

The Romance of Words (4th ed.) |Ernest Weekley

The grand chief was seated in their midst, holding in his hand the calumet of peace, half-colored for war.

Atala |Franois Auguste de Chateaubriand

calumet

/ (ˈkæljʊˌmɛt) /

a less common name for peace pipe

C18: from Canadian French, from French (Normandy dialect): straw, from Late Latin calamellus a little reed, from Latin: calamus