Mishigami
/mɪˈʃɪɡəmi/noun
An Ojibwe term meaning “great lake,” historically recorded as a source of the name Michigan.
Did you know?French explorers recorded the Ojibwe term in forms such as Michigame, which later developed into the modern name Michigan.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-European Anishinaabe usage
Ojibwe
mishigami
“Great lake”
17th Century
French
Michigame
“A recorded French rendering of the Ojibwe name for a great lake”
17th Century
French
Michilimakinac
“A related Indigenous place-name recorded by French observers; its history reflects the same regional naming tradition”
18th Century
English
Michigan
“The English form of the regional name, eventually applied to the lake and territory”
Modern English
English
Michigan
“A U.S. state and the name of one of the Great Lakes”
Explore more surprising origins