Penobscot

noun

Pe·​nob·​scot pə-ˈnäb-ˌskät How to pronounce Penobscot (audio)
-skət
plural Penobscot or Penobscots
: a member of an Algonquian-speaking Indigenous people of the Penobscot River valley and Penobscot Bay region of Maine

Word History

Etymology

earlier Panawamske, from Eastern Abenaki pαnáwαhpskek, a village name, literally, where the rocks widen

First Known Use

1624, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Penobscot was in 1624

Dictionary Entries Near Penobscot

pennyworth

Penobscot

penoche

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Penobscot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Penobscot. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Geographical Definition

Penobscot

geographical name

Pe·​nob·​scot pə-ˈnäb-ˌskät How to pronounce Penobscot (audio)
-skət
river 101 miles (162 kilometers) long in central Maine flowing south into Penobscot Bay (inlet of the Atlantic Ocean)

More from Merriam-Webster on Penobscot

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Penobscot

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
little chihuahua dressing like a turkey for thanksgiving
Is That Gratitude or Attitude? A Thanksgiving Quiz Decide which words express gratitude and which gi...