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USA

Massachusetts State Name Origin:

Photo of a statue of an Algonquin Indian
Statue of Algonquin Indian Ekwabet - photo © Hoch Sollst Du Leben (architekt2)
on Flickr - noncommercial use permitted with attribution / no derivative works

What does Massachusetts mean? Massachusetts comes from the language of the Algonquian Indians of the Massachusetts Bay area - translated roughly as: at or about the great hill. Possible interpretations of the exact origin of the word Massachusetts:

INDIAN WORD:

TRANSLATION:

messatossec

great hills mouth

mess or mass

great

atsco, as chu, or wad chu

hill

sec, sac or saco

mouth

massawachusett

great mountain place

massa

great

wachusett

mountain place

moswetuset

Indian arrowhead*

*descriptive of the the Great Blue Hill region, south of Boston

 

Source:
State Symbols: Citizen Information Service
Links:
Indians of N. America - the native American Experience
The Algonquin Indians
State Name Origins - 50 States
Google

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Massachusetts Symbols:

cat - dog
bird - game bird
horse - mammal
fish - reptile
flower - shell
tree -soil
insect - mineral
fossil - gem
rock 1 - 2 - 3 - 4
donut - dessert
bean - berry
cookie - muffin
beverage
 

flag - seal
motto - colors
name - nickname
songs: 1 - 2 - 3 -
4 - 5 - 6 - 7
blues artist
dance -poem
author - book
hero - heroine
inventor
sport - tartan
memorials
vessel


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