Mohegans

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of Indigenous North American people historically living in what is now Connecticut and nearby areas of New England
2. The name of an Algonquian-speaking Native American nation originally from the Connecticut River valley region
3. Members of a tribal nation of the Northeastern Woodlands whose homeland centered on southeastern Connecticut

Etymology: "Mohegans" is the plural of "Mohegan," the name of an Indigenous people of southeastern Connecticut whose name is commonly given as meaning "wolf" or "wolf people" in the Mohegan language, a meaning that is widely cited but not something this entry can pin down beyond that. The plural form simply refers to more than one member of that people, and it follows the usual English pattern of adding an "s" to a singular noun. Because the word is a plural of a tribal name, its interest lies in the name it is built on rather than in the plural ending itself. Those who write "Mohegans" are naming a community, and the singular "Mohegan" carries the same reference to that people and to their homeland along the Thames River valley.