noun
also na-dé·né |nädā|nā
( plural na-dene )
Usage: usually capitalized N & sometimes capitalized D
Etymology: na- (from an Athapaskan word stem akin to Haida na to dwell, house, Tlingit na people) + Déné
: a language phylum comprising the Athapaskan, Eyak, Haida, and Tlingit stocks