Massachusett
/ˌmæsəˈtʃuːsɪt/noun
A Native American people and language of the Algonquian family, and the source of the name Massachusetts.
Did you know?“Massachusetts” ultimately comes from the Massachusett people’s place-name for the Great Blue Hill area, and the name was recorded by early English colonists long before it became the state’s official title.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Algonquian
PA
*māši-
“great, large”
Proto-Algonquian
PA
*-ahtə
“hill, mountain”
Massachusett (Algonquian)
Algonquian
massa-adchu-es-et
“at the great hill”
17th Century
English
Massachusett
“the Native people and language of the Boston area; also used in colonial records for the place-name”
Modern English
English
Massachusett
“the Massachusett people and language”