Why are Canadians called Canucks?

Tabby Tom

Standard dictionaries like Chambers and the Oxford English Dictionary don't give an etymology. Cassell's Dictionary of Slang and Eric Partridge's Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English think it may be a combination of 'Canadian' and 'Chinook', but this seems to be no more than a guess. Cassell's also mentions a possible derivation through French from the Hawaiian 'kanaka', meaning man, but it doesn't say why the French should have transplanted a Hawaiian word to Canada. May 21 03, 12:05 PM

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