Meanings
nounpooquaw (plural pooquaws)
plural pooquaws
- USNantucket dialectHard-shelled clam.
"And a mess o' pooquaws in case your auntie fancies a bit o' fish. Is she any better today?"
1999, Joan Aiken, Nightbirds on Nantucket1 more example
'Pooquaws,' says he, 'I'm hunting for pooquaws for a shearing pie, but they seems to be so scarce I guess I'll go off and drive up my sheep.'
1881, Harriet B. Worron, "Trustum" and his grandchildren, page 89
Origin
Shortening of the earlier spelling pequaock, from Narragansett poquauhock.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
pooquaw. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pooquaw
MLA
“pooquaw.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pooquaw. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pooquaw,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pooquaw.
Source: pooquaw on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.