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“A Dictionarie of the Indian Language”; an excerpt from The Historie of Travaile into Virginia Britannia by William Strachey (1612, pub. 1849)

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A Dictionarie of the Indian Language; an excerpt from The Historie of Travaile into Virginia Britannia by William Strachey (1612)A Dictionarie of the Indian Language; an excerpt from The Historie of Travaile into Virginia Britannia by William Strachey (1612)A Dictionarie of the Indian Language; an excerpt from The Historie of Travaile into Virginia Britannia by William Strachey (1612
CONTEXT

In this excerpt from “A Dictionarie of the Indian Language, for the Better Enabling of Such Who Shalbe Thither Ymployed,” William Strachey compiled what he believed to be words spoken by the Virginia Indians of Tsenacomoco who lived in the Tidewater when the Jamestown colonists landed in 1607. Appearing at the end of The Historie of Travaile into Virginia Britannia , Strachey’s dictionary consisted of 400 words, of which 263 accurately represent Algonquian-language words or phrases, according to the linguist Frank T. Siebert Jr.

FULL TEXT

A.

  • Ahone, God
  • Apome, the thighe
  • Apooke, tobacco
  • Apokan, a tobacco pipe
  • Ananson, a matt
  • Assentamens, pears
  • Anath, farewell
  • Assimnims, walnutts
  • Assimoest, a fox
  • Amahoth, a targett
  • Ampkone, a frying pan
  • Akontant, a playster
  • Ammomū, to soire
  • Aayxkehake, a spade
  • Atapahañ, a kixe
  • Asapan, a hasty pudding
  • Apquammon, a show
  • Amosens, a daughter
  • Aramiath south /Neire, I am sick
  • Auppes, a bow string
  • Anaskomens, acornes
  • Asasqueth, the clay they make pipes of
  • Amonsoquath, a beare
  • Attomois, a dog
  • Arrokoth, the skie
  • Apones, bread
  • Arathkone, a beast like a fox.
  • Aposon, a beast in bignes like a pig and in tast alike
  • Aquintayne manggoy, a great ship
  • Aquintayne taux, a little boate or canoa
  • Assahampehooke, a lobster
  • Above, oskeitch, vsqwÿh, vspeuwh
  • Abroad, vscound
  • Acorn, anaskimmins
  • Adder, keihtascooc, sassacomuwah
  • Afternoone, aunshecapa
  • Ague, chowhwasuw
  • A king of the head, nindgapamutla mecreentecoh
  • A king of the teeth, vneghiawmdupmeputs
  • All, cheisk
  • An aule pin or needle, pocohaac
  • All is out, tashoac, metatvwh neckatam
  • Alive, kekewh
  • Angry, perervimuw
  • Angle, aamowk
  • — page 184 —
    A Dictionarie of the Indian Language; an excerpt from The Historie of Travaile into Virginia Britannia by William Strachey (1612

  • Apple, maracah
  • Apron or any kind of dressed leather, mataheigh catommoik
  • Arrow, asqweowan
  • Arme, mese
  • Armes, meascoh
  • Arse, kensekit
  • Ashes, pungwe
  • Aunts, ariqwossac
  • Awake, aumaumer
  • Aire, rarascaū

B.

  • Boketawh, fier
  • Bagwanchy basson, a girdle
  • Bmseran apook, fill the pipe with tobacco
  • A bag, porasap vttamancoch
  • To bark, cuttoundg
  • A barrell, ohtamocan
  • A batchellor, matawiowijh
  • A ball, aitowh
  • Bald, paatchkiscaw
  • A beare, momonsacqweo
  • A bell, maucaqwins
  • Beanes, peccatoas
  • A beard, weihsatonowans
  • A bed, cawwaivwh, petaocawin
  • To beat out with a cudgell, auntemdun, nooueshetun
  • To beat corn into meale, vshvccohomen
  • To beat any iron to an edge, vtssetecuttawsew
  • To bend, accongaivwh
  • Not to bend, sansaqivawwh
  • Before, vtcharund
  • Behind, taangoqwaÿk
  • Below, nousomon
  • Beneath, vtshemaijn
  • A beggar, cultassamais
  • Better, wingutscaho
  • A bird, tshehip, tshetcheindg
  • A small bird or chicken, cawahcheims
  • A bird with carnation-coloured wings, ahshowcutteis
  • A bird like a lapwing, collour grey, which useth the water, monahamshaw
  • A bird called a Divedapper, osasianticus
  • The bill or beak, mehkewh
  • To bite, amin, nussacun
  • A bitch, vsqwausum
  • Black, mahcatawaiuwh
  • Blew, osaih
  • To blow any thing, nepotatamen
  • Blew beades, vnetagwushomon
  • Blew berries of the bignes of grapes, very pleasant, accoondews
  • Blunt, wijhwaivwh
  • To make any thing blunt, neihpunsannvwh
  • Block, taccahooc
  • Bluid, nehpaangunnū
  • A bow, auhtab
  • A bowstring, aupeis
  • A boat, acomtan
  • A bottle, poheewh
  • A bourd, cutsotahwooc
  • To boyle up, potopotawh tawh
  • A bone, woskan
  • A boy, vscapess
  • A box in which they play at a certain kynd of game, assowpook
  • The bob of the gynny wheat without corne, okisher, okinsher
  • Bread, appoans
  • Bread made of a woat called taccaho appoans
  • A braser, qwunnumsc
  • A bridge, metucs
  • To broyle or toast bread, apetawh poan
  • To breake with one’s fingers any thing, vdesinamun
  • To break with stryking on any thing, paskeaw, vdeistahamū
  • To break all in pieces, ketarowksumah
  • — page 185 —
    A Dictionarie of the Indian Language; an excerpt from The Historie of Travaile into Virginia Britannia by William Strachey (1612

  • To be broken or crackt, perew
  • Bright or plaine all over, muscaussum
  • To bring into the boat, paaksetower
  • To bring agayne, patow
  • Brasse, osawas
  • To bruise any thing small, vnetawvnnū
  • A brother, nemat
  • A brush, vnepawahumū
  • A bramble or brier, cawmdguc
  • A broome, Tshekehicawwuns
  • A butterfly, manaang-gwas
  • To burne as if a shake light on any thing, cutchow matowran
  • A bunch of grapes, metucsmarakimmins.
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1612
William Strachey compiles what he believes to be words spoken by Virginia Indians of Tsenacomoco who lived in the Tidewater when the Jamestown colonists arrived in 1607. He records them in Historie and Travaile into Virginia Britannia.
CITE THIS ENTRY
APA Citation:
Strachey, William. “A Dictionarie of the Indian Language”; an excerpt from The Historie of Travaile into Virginia Britannia by William Strachey (1612, pub. 1849). (2020, December 07). In Encyclopedia Virginia. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/a-dictionarie-of-the-indian-language-an-excerpt-from-the-historie-of-travaile-into-virginia-britannia-by-william-strachey-1612-pub-1849.
MLA Citation:
Strachey, William. "“A Dictionarie of the Indian Language”; an excerpt from The Historie of Travaile into Virginia Britannia by William Strachey (1612, pub. 1849)" Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, (07 Dec. 2020). Web. 24 Nov. 2023
Last updated: 2021, February 04
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