Light, narrow boats pointed at both ends that are propelled by paddles, traditionally used by Indigenous peoples and still popular for recreation.
From Arawakan (Caribbean language) 'canoa,' adopted by Spanish explorers and passed into English in the 1500s. Columbus encountered these boats and the word stuck, making it one of the few English words from Native Caribbean languages.
The word 'canoe' traveled from Caribbean indigenous peoples to Spanish explorers to English speakers, making it one of the oldest borrowed words in English from the Americas!
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