shoshonean

noun, plural Sho·sho·ne·ans, (especially collectively) Sho·sho·ne·an for 2.

1. (in some, especially earlier, classifications) a grouping of four branches of the Uto-Aztecan language family including Numic, Hopi, and several languages of southern California.
2. a member of a group speaking a Shoshonean language.

adjective

3. of or relating to the Shoshonean-speaking peoples or their languages.

noun

1. a subfamily of North American Indian languages belonging to the Uto-Aztecan family, spoken mainly in the southwestern US