Meanings
proper noun
- A river in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Origin
Named after William Blackstone (original spelling William Blaxton) who arrived in Weymouth, Massachusetts, in 1623, and became the first European settler of present-day Boston in 1625. He relocated again, to Rhode Island in 1635 and built his home on the river, in what would become Cumberland.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
Blackstone River. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Blackstone%20River
MLA
“Blackstone River.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Blackstone%20River. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Blackstone River,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Blackstone%20River.
Source: Blackstone River on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.