Chicago
/ʃɪˈkɑː.ɡoʊ/noun
A major city in northeastern Illinois, United States.
Did you know?The name Chicago comes through French transcription from a Miami-Illinois word usually reconstructed as *shikaakwa*, referring to wild leeks or onions growing in the marshes near the river.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian
Miami-Illinois
*shikaakwa
“Wild leek or onion; a pungent plant growing in marshy ground”
17th Century
French
Chicago / Checagou
“French spellings used by explorers for the local place-name”
18th Century
English
Chicago
“Adopted place-name for the settlement on the Chicago River”
1830s
English
Chicago
“Name fixed for the growing town and later city”
Modern English
English
Chicago
“The city in Illinois”