Etymology

Wabash

W4A1B3A1S1H4

Today it means: An unincorporated community in Phillips County, Arkansas. Full definition →

French Ouabache ← Miami [Term?] ← Proto-Algonquian *wa·p-
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The story

  1. Proto-Algonquian · derived from*wa·p-“(be) white”
  2. Miami · derived from[Term?]“it shines white”
  3. French · derived fromOuabache
  4. English todayWabash

Via French Ouabache, from Miami [Term?] (“it shines white”), referring to the Wabash River (which has a limestone bed), ultimately from Proto-Algonquian *wa·p- (“(be) white”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.