Meanings
- uncountableobsolete except historicalSynonym of wampum (“small cylindrical beads made from polished shells (especially white ones) which have been strung together, formerly used by Native American peoples of eastern North America for various purposes including as jewellery and money, and for record-keeping”).
1 more example
[A] Sagamore with a Humberd in his eare for a pendant, a black havvke on his occiput for his plume, Movvhackees for his gold chaine, good ſtore of VVampompeage begirting his loynes, his bovv in his hand, his quiver at his back, vvith ſix naked Indian ſplatterlaſhes at his heeles for his guard, thinkes himſelfe little inferiour to the great Cham; hee vvill not ſtick to ſay, hee is all one vvith King Charles.
1634, William Wood, “Of Their Apparell, Ornaments, Paintings, and Other Artificiall Deckings”, in New Englands Prospect. A True, Lively, and Experimentall Description of that Part of America, Commonly Called New England; […], London: […] Tho[mas] Cotes, for Iohn Bellamie, […], →OCLC, 2nd part (Of the Indians, […]), page 66Synonyms: wampum
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of wampum (“small cylindrical beads made from polished shells (especially white ones) which have been strung together, formerly used by Native American peoples of eastern North America for various purposes including as jewellery and money, and for record-keeping”).
More synonyms by meaning
nounsmall cylindrical beads made from polished shells and fashioned into strings or belts; used by certain Native American peoples as jewelry or currency
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Massachusettwampompeage“string of white beads used as money”
- Englishwampumpeag
Borrowed from Massachusett wampompeage (“string of white beads used as money”), from wamp, wap, wompi (“white”) + *umpe (“string”) + -ag (plural suffix). Compare peag (“string of white beads used as money”), also a clipping of wampumpeag. Cognates Penobscot wʌ̃pʌ̃pəyak (singular wʌ̃pʌ̃pi)
More words from Massachusett
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
wampumpeag. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wampumpeag
“wampumpeag.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wampumpeag. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wampumpeag,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wampumpeag.
Source: wampumpeag on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.