Waccamaw River
/ˈwɑːkəˌmɔː ˈrɪvər/noun
A river in the Carolinas, especially the Waccamaw River flowing through parts of North and South Carolina.
Did you know?“Waccamaw” refers to the Waccamaw people, an Indigenous group historically associated with the Carolina coast, but scholars have not established a secure literal translation of the name.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-European Carolina
Indigenous Carolina languages
Waccamaw
“An Indigenous ethnonym and place-name; the original linguistic meaning is uncertain.”
17th–18th Century
English
Waccamaw
“English colonial records use the name for the Waccamaw people and for locations in the Carolina region.”
18th Century
English
Waccamaw River
“The established English name for the river associated with the Waccamaw region and people.”
Vulgar Latin
Latin
*riparia
“A riverbank or land beside a river; the reconstructed source of the Romance word family behind English river.”
Old French
Old French
riviere
“A river or flowing watercourse.”
Middle English
English
river
“A large natural stream of flowing water, adopted from Anglo-French and Old French.”
Modern English
English
Waccamaw River
“The modern proper name of the river system in the Carolinas.”