By the 1980s, the spelling of the ethnonym "Miꞌkmaq", which is preferred by the Miꞌkmaw people, was widely adopted by scholarly publications and the media. It replaced the previous spelling "Micmac". Although this older spelling is still in use, the Miꞌkmaq consider the spelling "Micmac" to be "tainted" by colonialism. The "q" ending is used in the plural form of the noun, and "Miꞌkmaw" is used as singular of "Miꞌkmaq". It is also used as an adjective, for example, "the Miꞌkmaw nation".