Pequod

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A fictional whaling ship from the novel "Moby-Dick" that serves as the setting for Captain Ahab's obsessive pursuit of the great white whale
2. An emblematic vessel in American literature, representing the dangers of obsession and the unpredictability of nature while exploring themes of fate and revenge
3. A symbolic ship in Herman Melville's classic story, illustrating the struggles between humanity and the natural world, as well as the conflicts within the human spirit

Etymology: The Pequod is the ship Herman Melville gave Captain Ahab in "Moby-Dick" (1851), and its name is borrowed from a real people. The Pequot were a Native American nation of southern New England, and their name comes from the Narragansett word "Pequttôog," meaning roughly "people of the shoals." The name is related to the Abenaki word "pôgwa," meaning "shallow" or "shoal," so it describes people living along shallow waters. Melville drew on the name's history of conflict in New England. The Pequot were devastated in the Pequot War of 1636–1638, and their name was attached to a vessel that ends its voyage in destruction, a grim echo of that history. The spelling "Pequod" is the form Melville chose for his ship, and it is the version now familiar to readers.