Michigamme
/ˌmɪʃɪˈɡɑːmi/noun
A name used for a lake, township, and community in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Did you know?Michigamme belongs to the same Indigenous naming tradition that produced Michigan, both ultimately reflecting Anishinaabe terminology for a large or great lake.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-European Anishinaabe usage
Ojibwe
mishigami
“Great lake or large body of water”
17th–18th Century
French
michigami
“A rendering of the Anishinaabe lake-name in French colonial records”
18th–19th Century
French/English
Michigamme
“An anglicized and standardized form of the Indigenous place-name”
19th Century
English
Lake Michigamme
“The established name of a lake in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula”
Modern English
English
Michigamme
“A geographic name for the lake, township, and nearby community”
Explore more surprising origins