Patowmack

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An older spelling of the Potomac, a river flowing through Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. into Chesapeake Bay
2. A historical name for the large river that forms part of the border between Maryland and Virginia before reaching the capital
3. The river in the eastern United States known today as the Potomac, flowing past Washington, D.C. toward the Chesapeake Bay

Etymology: Early English colonists in Virginia wrote this river's name in many ways, including Patawomeck, Potowmack, and this form. The spellings all approximate an Algonquian name, most likely that of the Indigenous people who lived along the lower river. The same colonial records name a people called the Patawomeck, whose territory lay on its banks, so the river and the people probably shared a root. English spellers struggled with the sounds, which explains the shifting letters. The name's meaning is uncertain. Several glosses have circulated, such as "where goods are brought in" or "swift river," but none can be confirmed from the surviving Algonquian evidence, so they are best treated as guesses. The modern spelling "Potomac" settled in the 18th century, and the river now bears it alone.