[Marine Inspector]

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Main Entry: squaw
Pronunciation: 'skwo
Function: noun
Etymology: Massachuset squa, ussqua woman
Date: 1634
1 often offensive : an American Indian woman
2 usually disparaging : WOMAN, WIFE

While the word is considered offensive or disparaging now, it was not in the past: Reclaiming the Word "Squaw" in the Name of the Ancestors

[Marine Inspector]

More Links:

Commentary on the "Squaw" Controversy

The Sociolinguistics of the 'S- Word': 'Squaw' in American Placenames

[MeekOneGOP]

Wow. Thanks. That's quite a long history of the word. I had NO idea . . .