Neponset
/nɪˈpɒn.sɪt/noun
A place-name used for the Neponset River, the Neponset neighborhood of Boston, and nearby locations in Massachusetts.
Did you know?Neponset is connected with the Indigenous peoples and languages of the Massachusetts region, but its exact original meaning is uncertain rather than securely translatable.
Etymological Timeline
Precolonial period
Algonquian
Neponset
“An Indigenous place-name associated with the river and surrounding region; the precise original meaning is uncertain.”
17th Century
English colonial records
Neponsett
“An early English-recorded spelling of the Native place-name.”
17th Century
English colonial records
Neponset
“The name used for the river and nearby Indigenous community in Massachusetts.”
18th–19th Centuries
English
Neponset
“A continuing geographic name for the river and settlements in the Boston area.”
Modern English
English
Neponset
“A proper geographic name, especially referring to the Neponset River and Boston’s Neponset neighborhood.”
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