Orenda
//ɔˈɹɛn.də// noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A mystical power thought by the Iroquois to pervade all things. uncountable
"In the Handbook of American Indians, Alice Fletcher describes the Iroquois conception of orenda as "a fictive force, principle, or magic power""
Example
More examples"In the Handbook of American Indians, Alice Fletcher describes the Iroquois conception of orenda as "a fictive force, principle, or magic power""
Etymology
Supposedly coined in 1902 by American ethnologist John Napoleon Brinton Hewitt using a Wyandot (Iroquoian) cognate to Mohawk orę́·naʔ (“inherent power”).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.