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Seneca

1 American  
[sen-i-kuh] / ˈsɛn ɪ kə /

noun

plural

Senecas,

plural

Seneca
  1. a member of the largest tribe of the Iroquois Confederacy of North American Indians, formerly inhabiting western New York and being conspicuous in the wars south and west of Lake Erie.

  2. an Iroquoian language of the Seneca, Onondaga, and Cayuga tribes.


Seneca 2 American  
[sen-i-kuh] / ˈsɛn ɪ kə /

noun

  1. Lucius Annaeus c4 b.c.–a.d. 65, Roman philosopher and writer of tragedies.


Seneca 1 British  
/ ˈsɛnɪkə /

noun

  1. a member of a North American Indian people formerly living south of Lake Ontario; one of the Iroquois peoples

  2. the language of this people, belonging to the Iroquoian family

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Seneca 2 British  
/ ˈsɛnɪkə /

noun

  1. Lucius Annaeus (əˈniːəs), called the Younger. ?4 bc –65 ad , Roman philosopher, statesman, and dramatist; tutor and adviser to Nero. He was implicated in a plot to murder Nero and committed suicide. His works include Stoical essays on ethical subjects and tragedies that had a considerable influence on Elizabethan drama

  2. his father, Marcus (ˈmɑːkəs) or Lucius Annaeus, called the Elder or the Rhetorician. ?55 bc –?39 ad , Roman writer on oratory and history

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • Senecan adjective

Etymology

Origin of Seneca

From the New York Dutch word Sennecaas, etc., originally applied to the Oneida and, more generally, to all the Upper Iroquois (as opposed to the Mohawk), probably < an unattested Mahican name

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Mr. Porter is a former president of the Seneca Nation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

She studies it daily, reading the texts of thinkers such as Seneca, Epictetus and other men better known as marble busts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

Gunther joined Air Canada after graduating from Seneca, which said flags at the campus would be lowered to half-mast on Tuesday.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Prosecutors served subpoenas on several members of Price’s City Hall staff and several former employees of Del Richardson & Associates, which Richardson sold to the Greenwood Seneca Foundation several years ago, the sources said.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 14, 2025

He must know about Seneca Crane, but he doesn’t look the least bit concerned.

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins