Unquachog

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A place name of Algonquian origin borne by a settlement in the northeastern United States
2. The name of a Native American locality in the northeastern United States, derived from an Algonquian language
3. A proper noun naming a former Native American settlement area in the northeastern United States

Etymology: Unquachog is a place name from an Algonquian language of the Long Island region of New York, where it belongs to a community and area of Suffolk County. The name is recorded in English usage as a label for that place and its people, and its exact meaning in the original language is uncertain, so no translation is given here. Names like this were usually recorded by English speakers writing down Algonquian sounds by ear, so spellings vary and the English form often reflects those early choices more than a fixed original spelling. The name has stayed attached to the place, and it is the form that appears on maps and in local histories today.