Powhatan

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

/ ˈpaʊ əˌtæn, -ˌhæt n /

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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.

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Words nearby Powhatan

power trip, power up, power walking, power yoga, powfagged, Powhatan, Powhatan Confederacy, powhiri, powwow, Powys, pox

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Powhatan in a sentence

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|DAILY BEAST
Gallatin gives in the Powhatan dialect the word for mountain as pomottinke, doubtless another form of the same.
The Myths of the New World|Daniel G. Brinton
Powhatan was therefore solemnly invited to Jamestown, to receive these gifts and be crowned.
The Story of the Thirteen Colonies|H. A. (Hlne Adeline) Guerber
Powhatan and many of his tribe were invited to this wedding, the first between an Englishman and an Indian girl.
The Story of the Thirteen Colonies|H. A. (Hlne Adeline) Guerber

Powhatan, who had vowed that the sky should fall before the Indians broke peace with the Virginians, was now dead.
The Story of the Thirteen Colonies|H. A. (Hlne Adeline) Guerber
This marriage brought about a peace between Powhatan and the English settlers in Virginia.
The Myths of the North American Indians|Lewis Spence

British Dictionary definitions for Powhatan

Powhatan

/ (ˌpaʊhəˈtæn, paʊˈhætən) /

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