hogan

noun

ho·​gan ˈhō-ˌgän How to pronounce hogan (audio)
: a Navajo Indian dwelling usually made of logs and mud with a door traditionally facing east

Illustration of hogan

Illustration of hogan

Did you know?

The traditional dwelling of the Navajo Indians of Arizona and New Mexico is called a hogan. The hogan is roughly circular and constructed usually of logs, which are stepped in gradually to create a domed roof. The whole structure is then covered with mud and sod, except for a circular opening in the roof that allows smoke to escape. The entrance generally faces the rising sun.

Examples of hogan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Miranda Mullett, who grew up in Wide Ruins in a hogan built by her grandfather, initially embarked on her own effort to provide firewood to tribal members after visiting her ancestral home in December and learning of their plight. Alex Rhoades, NBC News, 3 Jan. 2024 The first design was a celebration of multiple architectural styles, from the Navajo’s hogans to the Great Plains tribes’ tipis. Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 June 2023 My hogan has electricity but no running water. Sunny Dooley, Scientific American, 8 July 2020 At the end of this road in Clark Village, the iconic Bears Ears buttes on the horizon, a family of 18, who recently had their home burned down, lives in a single space — a hogan, a single-roomed building that’s the cultural home for the Diné people. The Salt Lake Tribune, 27 Apr. 2022 Descheenie, who is from Chinle, said his mother was born in a hogan, traditional Diné home, and because of this she was never given a birth certificate. Arlyssa D. Becenti, The Arizona Republic, 24 Nov. 2022 Born in a hogan, Laughter had no birth certificate, didn't drive, had no electric or water service at her home in the Navajo Nation and paid no property taxes. Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2022 The family’s farm plot and hogan are now several hundred feet under Lake Powell, along with tens of thousands of cultural sites and burials. Zak Podmore, The Salt Lake Tribune, 24 Oct. 2022 According to the Library of Congress, Begay was born in a traditional Navajo hogan in a remote area near Two Wells, New Mexico, in 1927. Haleigh Kochanski, The Arizona Republic, 15 Aug. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hogan.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Navajo hooghan

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hogan was in 1871

Dictionary Entries Near hogan

Cite this Entry

“Hogan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hogan. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hogan

noun
ho·​gan ˈhō-ˌgän How to pronounce hogan (audio)
: a Navajo Indian dwelling usually made of logs and mud with a door traditionally facing east

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