kachina
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ka·chi·na
(kə-chē′nə) or kat·si·na (kə-chē′nə, kət-sē′-)n.
1. Any of numerous deified ancestral spirits of the Pueblo peoples, believed to reside in the pueblo for part of each year.
2. A masked dancer believed to embody a particular spirit during a religious ceremony.
3. A carved doll in the costume of a particular spirit, usually presented as a gift to a child.
[Hopi katsina, supernatural being, masked impersonator of a supernatural being.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
kachina
(kəˈtʃiːnə)n
(Non-European Myth & Legend) any of the supernatural beings believed by the Hopi Indians to be the ancestors of living humans
[from Hopi qačina supernatural]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ka•chi•na
or ka•tci•na
(kəˈtʃi nə)n., pl. -nas.
1. any of a class of supernatural beings who play a role in the religious beliefs and rituals of Pueblo Indian peoples.
2. a masked dancer impersonating such a being.
3. a carved wooden doll representing a kachina.
[1885–90; < Hopi ḳacína]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Noun | 1. | kachina - a masked dancer during a Pueblo religious ceremony who is thought to embody some particular spirit |
2. | kachina - a deified spirit of the Pueblo people disembodied spirit, spirit - any incorporeal supernatural being that can become visible (or audible) to human beings | |
3. | kachina - a carved doll wearing the costume of a particular Pueblo spirit; usually presented to a child as a gift |
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