"Nez Percé" is an exonym given by French Canadian fur traders who visited the area regularly in the late 18th century, meaning literally "pierced nose". English-speaking traders and settlers adopted the name in turn. Since the late 20th century, the Nez Perce identify most often as Niimíipuu in Sahaptin. The Lakota/ Dakota named them the "Watopala", or "Canoe" people, from "Watopa". However, after Nez Perce became a more common name, they changed it to "Watopahlute". This comes from "pahlute", nasal passage, and is simply a play on words. If translated literally, it would come out as either "Nasal Passage of the Canoe" (Watopa-pahlute) or "Nasal Passage of the Grass" (Wato-pahlute). The Assiniboine called them "Pasú oȟnógA wįcaštA", the Arikara "sinitčiškataríwiš". The tribe also uses the term "Nez Perce", as does the United States Government in its official dealings with them, and contemporary historians. Older historical ethnological works and documents use the French spelling of "Nez Percé", with the diacritic. The original French pronunciation is , with three syllables.