Refine this word faster

Stronger alternatives Opposite tone Use in context Cross-language nuance

Wampum

//ˈwɒmpəm// noun, slang

Definitions

Noun

1
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. uncountable
"[A]mong the Red Men of America the giving of the white belt of wampum was the deepest pledge of honor; […]"
2
small cylindrical beads made from polished shells and fashioned into strings or belts; used by certain Native American peoples as jewelry or currency wordnet
3
Money. slang, uncountable
"[Kenneth O'Keefe, letter] Have that seven quid. Or else I'll be kaput. […] [Sebastian Dangerfield, letter in reply] Kenneth, we all want wampum. And as you must know, if only I had some I would be only too willing to share. But the only thing I have here is a pile of business magazines which I am going to burn for a fire."
4
informal terms for money wordnet
5
Ellipsis of wampum snake (“the common kingsnake or eastern kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula)”). abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, obsolete

Etymology

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. Noun 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)

Next best steps

Find stronger synonyms See usage examples Check pronunciation

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: wampum