Nanticoke

¹ American  

[nan-ti-kohk] / ˈnæn tɪˌkoʊk /

noun

Nanticokes plural

1. a member of an Indigenous North American people who have traditionally inhabited Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.

2. the Algonquian language of the Nanticoke.

3. a member of a group of people of southern Delaware with mixed white, Black, and Indigenous ancestry.

---

Nanticoke ² American  

[nan-ti-kohk, -koh] / ˈnæn tɪˌkoʊk, -ˌkoʊ /

noun

1. a city in SE Ontario, in S Canada, on Lake Erie.

2. a city in E Pennsylvania.

---

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• Nanticoke
  plural
• Nanticokes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Nanticoke

First recorded in 1640–50; from Nanticoke (an Eastern Algonquian language), the name of a place once inhabited by the tribe

Example Sentences

In April, Bresnahan announced the launch of the coalition and that it would be chaired by two local politicians, former Nanticoke mayor and current City Council President Joseph Dougherty and Jessup Borough Councilman Jeff Castellani.

From Salon • May 6, 2026

Short said the charter change is aimed at helping economic recovery efforts in Seaford, a town of about 8,000 situated on the banks of the Nanticoke River.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 30, 2023

That process started with the tribal chiefs of the Delaware Lenape and Nanticoke first.

From Washington Times • Jul. 23, 2022

Still, Blackwater tells of the humans who are a part of its story, from the first Native American inhabitants, including the Nanticoke people, to the Civilian Conservation Corps workers of the 1930s.

From New York Times • Jun. 21, 2022

"How shall I make myself known to them? how shall I make myself known to the beautiful creature I have so often tried to clasp in my arms?" demanded the Nanticoke.

From Traditions of the North American Indians, Vol. 2 by Jones, James Athearn