Nashua
/ˈnæʃ.u.ə/noun
A city in southern New Hampshire and the name of the Nashua River flowing through the region.
Did you know?The name ultimately comes through the Pennacook-Abenaki linguistic world, although historical sources vary slightly on whether the original sense was “between two rivers” or referred specifically to the Nashua River.
Etymological Timeline
Precolonial period
Abenaki
Nashua / Nashaway
“An Indigenous place-name associated with the Nashua River region; commonly interpreted as “between two rivers” or “land between two rivers.””
17th Century
English colonial records
Nashaway
“Recorded English rendering of the Indigenous name for the river and surrounding area.”
1673
English
Nashua River
“The river-name adopted in English colonial usage.”
1746
English
Nashua
“Name used for the colonial settlement that developed along the river.”
Modern English
English
Nashua
“A city in New Hampshire and a regional place-name.”
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