Narragansett
/ˌnærəˈɡæn.sɪt/noun
A member of an Indigenous Algonquian-speaking people of present-day Rhode Island, or their language and traditional homeland.
Did you know?Early English records used many spellings, including Nanhigganeuck, and scholars still disagree about whether the name referred to a geographic feature, a people, or both.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-contact period
Narragansett
Nanhigganeuck / related forms
“Indigenous forms recorded later by English colonists; the precise original segmentation and meaning are uncertain.”
17th Century
English
Nanhigganeuck
“An early colonial spelling for the Narragansett people and their region.”
17th Century
English
Narragansetts
“An English plural ethnonym used in colonial records for the Indigenous people of Rhode Island.”
18th Century
English
Narragansett
“The established singular and attributive form referring to the people, language, or region.”
Modern English
English
Narragansett
“A proper noun associated with the Narragansett people, their language, Narragansett Bay, and places in Rhode Island.”