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Appendix:Place names in the New York area with possible native American origins

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The place names of Westchester County, New York

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From The place names of Westchester County, New York by Richard M. Lederer (1978, ISBN: 9780916346300):

Other sources

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Notes: the abbreviations "U." and "M." are "Unami" and "Munsee", respectively. The final element of many of these placenames (rendered into English as -nk, -k, -ke, or -n) is Unami -nk, -k or its Munsee cognate.

  • Alexauken (creek), NJ - From Unami Alàxhakink "Empty (barren) land" (from alàxàt "it is empty") or a Munsee cognate of the same.[8]
  • Allamuchy, NJ - From Unami alemuchink "Place of cocoons" (from alemuchi "cocoon" + the locative/placename-forming suffix -k, -nk) or a Munsee cognate of the same.[8]
  • Assunpink, NJ - U. Ahsën'pink "Rocky place that is watery" (ahsën = rock) or M.[8]
  • Cheesequake, NJ - U. Chiskhakink "Land that has been cleared" or M.[8]
  • Conaskonk, NJ - U. Kwënàskunk "Place of tall grass or reeds" or M.[8]
  • Conshohocken, PA - From Unami kanshihakink "Elegant land" (from ahkanshi "elegant") or a Munsee cognate of the same.[8]
  • Coxing, Koghksohsing - From the Munsee for "[near a] high place"; compare Massachusett kodtuhkoag, kodtohkoag, koduhkoag, "high place, summit of mountain or hill", kogkussohkoag "a high place".[9][19]
  • Ho-Ho-Kus, name of a brook and several sites in NJ - "Whritenour thinks that Ho-Ho-Kus sounds similar to two Munsee words: *mehokhokwus, "red cedar," and *hakhakwus, "little bottle gourd"." Earlier spellings: Anhokus, Hochaos, Hohokus.[7]
  • Horicon, NJ - U. Olikunk "Place of holes in the ground" (from òlhake "hole in the ground") or M.[8]
  • Macanippuck, NJ -
  • Manasquan, NJ - U. Mënàskunk "Place to gather grass or reeds" (compare mënàskutink "place to cut grass or reeds")[8]
  • Manunka Chunk, NJ - U. Mënànkahchunk "Where the hills are clustered" (for the first element, compare mënakòt "it is clustered"; the second element is ahchu "hill" + the suffix -nk) or M.[8]
  • Monongahela, NJ, PA, WV - U. Mënaonkihëla "Place where the riverbanks erode" (compare mënaonkihële "the dirt (of a riverbank) caves off (as in a landslide)") or M.[8]
  • Penungauchung, NJ - U. Pënaonkòhchunk "Place where the land slopes downhill" or M.[8]
  • Tulpehocken, PA and NJ - U. Tulpehakink "Land of turtles" or M.[8]
  • Wickatunk, NJ - U. Wikwètunk "Ending place (end of trail)" (compare wikwe "that is the end") or M.[8]

References

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  1. ^ John Thomas Scharf, History of Westchester County: New York, volume 2 (1886): "... just southeast of where the Hudson River Railroad begins to cross the cove toward the north, is a spot of historic interest. Here was the site of the old Indian village of Alipkonk, or the Place of Elms, ... and here ... was the lunette, or military redoubt, from which the patriotic Water Guard, according to Bolton, canonaded the British sloop-of-war 'Vulture'"
  2. ^ The Munsee word for "elm" is "wə̆la·kanahó·nšuy", which could plausibly have become the placename in question, with intrusive p, loss of the last few syllables (-ahó·nšuy) and addition of the locative suffix -k. The Unami word for "elm" is "lokanahunshi".
  3. ^ The last part is the Algonquian term for stone — Munsee "ăsə́n", Unami "ahsën". Footprints of the red men / Indian geographical names says Meghkeekassin, name of a large rock on the west side of the Neperah near the Hudson, also spelt Macackassin, is related, the first elements of the two terms being (per Footprints) "Delaware" 'mechek' = 'great' and 'amangi' = 'great, big, terrible, frightful', respectively.
  4. ^ The Unami word for "red cedar" (which may or may not be related) is "pëphòkwës"/"pëpxòkwës"; the Munsee word is mehokhokwus (see Ho-Ho-Kus, below).
  5. ^ From Unami àspitunk "the high place" or a Munsee cognate of the same.
  6. ^ Compare Unami pahsi "half".
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Robert S. Grumet, Manhattan to Minisink: American Indian Place Names (2013, →ISBN
  8. ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 8.11 8.12 8.13 8.14 8.15 Lenape Talking Dictionary
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Native New Yorkers: The Legacy of the Algonquin People of New York
  10. ^ "Kittatinny" is from Unami kitahtëne "big mountain" or a Munsee cognate of the same, per the Lenape Talking Dictionary.
  11. ^ Compare Unami àskàsk- "green".
  12. ^ The -ockqu- might be -akw, "tree".
  13. ^ Compare Unami tëlamàskèk "swamp".
  14. ^ If the suggestion that this derives from a root meaning "opossum" is correct, then the root in question is surely Algonquian; compare Ojibwe waabasim.
  15. ^ Mary Alice Parell, 1976
  16. ^ per some 1910 Documents of the Assembly of the State of New York
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 per some 1908 Documents of the Assembly of the State of New York (volume 26)
  18. ^ Superficially similar to wicopy, wickopy.
  19. ^ Natick Dictionary
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