Sachim

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A paramount leader or chief among certain Algonquian-speaking peoples of northeastern North America, especially in New England
2. An archaic spelling for a tribal chief among the Native peoples of the northeastern American colonies, particularly in New England
3. The title of a sovereign leader or chief governing a community among some Algonquian nations of colonial New England

Etymology: "Sachim" is a Native American term, borrowed into English from Algonquian languages of New England, where it referred to a leader or chief of a group. The English form was recorded in the early 1600s, when colonists encountered it in the speech of Algonquian peoples such as the Massachusett, Narragansett, and Wampanoag. It is closely related to "sachem," the spelling most English writers settled on, and the two forms appear side by side in early records. The word is related to a family of Algonquian terms for leadership, and its meaning in English was narrowed over time to a specific office among certain New England peoples. Its use in English was largely confined to colonial documents and histories of the region, which is why it sounds archaic to most readers today.