Chaubunagungamaug

English

Alternative forms
  • Lake Chabunagungamaug

Etymology

From a Nipmuck (Loup A) word, translated by Ives Goddard as "fishing place at the boundary" or "lake divided by islands".[1][2]

Chaubunagungamaug is the form used by the US government and it occurs in the earliest local records, according to Goddard. In 1921, a local fancifully enlarged the name to Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg.[2][3]

Proper noun

Chaubunagungamaug

  1. A small lake east of Webster, Massachusetts.

Usage notes

This is the name found in the earliest records and is used by the USGS. Some locals prefer fancifully lengthened versions of the name.

Synonyms
  • Lake Chargoggagoggmanchoggagogg
  • Lake Chargoggagoggmanchaugagoggchaubunagungamaug
  • Lake Chargoggaggoggmanchaugagoggchaubunagungamaug
  • Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaug
  • Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg
  • Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg
  • Lake Chargoggagogmanchaugagogchaubunagungamaug
  • Lake Chaugogagogmanchaugagogchaubunagungamaug
  • Lake Webster, Webster Lake

Translations

References
  1. Ives Goddard, Untitled review of Trumbull (1974), in International Journal of American Linguistics, volume 43, no. 2 (April, 1977), pp. 157–159
  2. Ives Goddard, "Time to Retire an Indian Place-Name Hoax", The New York Times (September 29, 1990)
  3. Pam Belluck, What's the Name of That Lake? It's Hard to Say (November 30, 2004)
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