wampum

Signification (Anglais)

1. (uncountable) 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; (countable, archaic) one such bead.
2. (slang, uncountable) Money.
3. (abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, obsolete) Ellipsis of wampum snake (“the common kingsnake or eastern kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula)”).

Concepts

sewan

wampum

fric

pognon

Synonymes

wampumpeag

peag

cabbage

clams

dough

gelt

kale

lettuce

lolly

loot

boodle

lucre

bread

🍞

shekels

moolah

dinero

simoleons

pelf

scratch

sugar

money

💸

oyster shell

currency

foreign exchange

Traductions

wampum

Wampum

فُلُوس

quartos

💸

calés

pasta

peles

pistrincs

wampum

sewan

cuques

παράδες

χρήμα

دراهِم

Prononcé comme (IPA)

/ˈwɒmpəm/

Étymologie (Anglais)

Appartenant à Eastern Abnaki: wάpαpəyak

Appartenant à Unami: òpapiàk

In summary

Clipping of wampumpeag (“wampum”), probably borrowed from Massachusett wampompeage (“string of white beads used as money”).
Compare peag (“string of white beads used as money”), also a clipping of wampumpeag.
Sense 3 (“common kingsnake”) is from the similarity of the snake’s appearance to a string of wampum.
Cognates
Penobscot wάpαpəyak (singular wάpαpi)
Unami òpapiàk (singular òpapi)