Pequot

American  

[pee-kwot] / ˈpi kwɒt /

noun

Pequots, plural Pequot plural

1. a member of a powerful tribe of Algonquian-speaking Indians of Connecticut that was essentially destroyed in the Pequot War.

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Pequot British  

/ ˈpiːkwɒt /

noun

1. a member of a North American Indian people formerly living in S New England

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Pequot
  plural
• Pequots
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Pequot

First recorded in 1625–35, from Narragansett ( English spelling) Pequttôog (plural), and the cognate in other SE New England languages, e.g., ( Dutch spelling) Pequat(s),Pequatoo(s), probably literally, “people of the shoals”

Example Sentences

Didn’t the Puritans burn the village of the Pequot people?

From Salon • Jan. 13, 2024

He moved from the investment bank to hedge fund Pequot Capital Management where he worked until it went out of business in 2009.

From Reuters • Oct. 26, 2023

I am a tribal elder in the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation and 36-year D.C. resident who has fully embraced its professional football team.

From Washington Post • Feb. 9, 2022

“Today we celebrate a new era for our Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, sports fans, Foxwoods guests and Connecticut residents,” said Rodney Butler, chair of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, in a written statement.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 29, 2021

This map shows the homelands of the Pequot Nation, relative to neighboring nations in what are currently called the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz