Powhatan

[pou-uh-tan, -hat-n]

noun, plural Pow·ha·tans, (especially collectively) Pow·ha·tan for 1.

a member of any of the Indian tribes belonging to the Powhatan Confederacy.
the Eastern Algonquian language spoken by the Powhatan people.
c1550–1618, North American Indian chief in Virginia, father of Pocahontas and founder of the Powhatan Confederacy.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for powhatan

Contemporary Examples of powhatan

In 1622, just months after “the first Thanksgiving,” 347 colonists were killed in an attack by Powhatan Indians.
Not Just Cannibalism: Seven Ways Colonial Jamestown Was a Living Hell
Nina Strochlic
May 2, 2013

Historical Examples of powhatan

Long and earnestly Powhatan talked to her, and she listened intently.
Ten American Girls From History
Kate Dickinson Sweetser
He had been sent by Powhatan to count the English, that he might learn their strength.
The Story of Pocahontas and Captain John Smith
E. Boyd Smith
Then Powhatan, who ruled them all, raised his hand and stopped their clamor.
The Story of Pocahontas and Captain John Smith
E. Boyd Smith
Smith does not report what he said to Powhatan, or Powhatan to him.
Pioneers of the Old South
Mary Johnston
Today no small host of Americans have for ancestress the daughter of Powhatan.
Pioneers of the Old South
Mary Johnston

British Dictionary definitions for powhatan

Powhatan

noun

American Indian name Wahunsonacock. died 1618, American Indian chief of a confederacy of tribes; father of Pocahontas

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