Wisconsin

Part of speech: noun, proper noun

Definitions

1. A state located in the north-central United States, known for its dairy production and nickname "America's Dairyland"
2. An area famous for its lakes and cheese production, along with significant contributions to politics and industry
3. A region recognized for its vibrant cultural heritage, including Native American history and contributions to the Progressive Movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries

Etymology: The state's name is one of American geography's great unsolved puzzles. French explorers recorded the river as "Ouisconsin" in the 1670s, and the name passed into English from French, but the word that French writers were trying to spell belonged to one of the region's Native languages, and nobody agrees on which one or what it meant. The candidates are many. Algonquian-speaking peoples may have called the river "meskousing," meaning "it lies red," and French mapmakers, reading a stylized cursive "M," may have transcribed it as "OU." The Menominee name "wēskōhsek" is often glossed as "a good place," and the Ojibwe possibilities include "red stones," for the sandstone cliffs of the river's dells, and "little lodge," for the beaver and muskrat homes along its banks. A state researcher once complained that he had "not found two Indians to agree on the meaning of this word," which may be the most honest summary of the question available.

Synonyms: WI, Badger State