wampum

Meaning

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)”).

Synonyms

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

Translations

wampum

sewan

Wampum

wampum

calés

quartos

💸

فُلُوس

wampum

pistrincs

sewan

pasta

παράδες

χρήμα

peles

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈwɒmpəm/

Etymology

Cognate with Eastern Abnaki: wάpαpəyak

Cognate with 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)