Mitchigamme
/ˌmɪtʃɪˈɡæmi/noun
Mitchigamme is a historical English spelling and place-name form referring to Lake Michigamme in Michigan.
Did you know?Mitchigamme and Michigan ultimately reflect Algonquian descriptions of a large lake, though their spellings were reshaped by French and English speakers rather than by occult tradition.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-contact period
Ojibwe
mishi-gami
“Great lake or large body of water; mishi means “large” and gami refers to a lake or inland water.”
17th Century
French
Michigami / Michigame
“French-transcribed forms of an Indigenous lake name encountered in the Great Lakes region.”
17th–18th Century
French
Michilimakinac and related forms
“European spellings of Great Lakes names preserved varying interpretations of Indigenous water-place terminology.”
18th–19th Century
English
Mitchigamme
“An English spelling variant used for the lake and associated locality in Michigan.”
Modern English
English
Mitchigamme
“A historical or alternative form associated chiefly with Lake Michigamme, a lake in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.”
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