Potomac

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A major river of the eastern United States that forms much of the border between Maryland and Virginia ; the wider area surrounding it including the land near the nation's capital
2. The large waterway flowing past Washington, D.C. into Chesapeake Bay ; the surrounding region whose landscape and communities are shaped by that river
3. An eastern American river running through the mid-Atlantic states toward Chesapeake Bay ; the broader district and drainage area that spreads around its banks near the capital

Etymology: The Potomac River, which forms much of the border between Maryland and Virginia and flows past Washington, D.C., takes its name from an Algonquian place name that European settlers recorded in many spellings. Early English records give forms such as "Patawomeke" and "Patowmack," and the spelling settled into its present shape only in the 20th century. In 1931, the United States Board on Geographic Names made "Potomac" the official name of the river. The meaning of the original name is disputed. Some have read it as "river of swans," others as "place where people trade," and others as "place to which tribute is brought." The upper stretch of the river, above the falls, was known to the local peoples as "Cohongorooton," or "river of geese," a reflection of how many geese and swans gathered there in the early years of European contact.