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Powhatan

American  
[pou-uh-tan, -hat-n] / ˈpaʊ əˌtæn, -ˌhæt n /

noun

Powhatans, plural Powhatan plural
  1. a member of any of the Indian tribes belonging to the Powhatan Confederacy.

  2. the Eastern Algonquian language spoken by the Powhatan people.

  3. c1550–1618, North American Indian chief in Virginia, father of Pocahontas and founder of the Powhatan Confederacy.


Powhatan British  
/ paʊˈhætən, ˌpaʊhəˈtæn /

noun

  1. 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

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Noun Inflected Forms

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.

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Named for the Powhatan word for "cloud," Arrokoth is a double-lobed object that resembles a squished snowman.

From Salon May 7, 2023

The department deserves credit for adding Gen. Winfield Scott, as well as William Harvey Carney and Powhatan Beaty, African American soldiers from Virginia, to the Standards of Learning.

From Washington Post Apr. 26, 2023

Between 1609 and 1646, Virginia colonists fought a series of wars with the Powhatan Confederacy, an alliance of tribes that spoke languages of the Algonquin family.

From Textbooks Dec. 14, 2022

It happened around 7:40 p.m. on I-49 northbound near Powhatan, a village in the parish, the sheriff’s office said.

From Seattle Times Dec. 7, 2022

Then I remember how Captain Smith dressed as a warrior to bring news of the coronation to Chief Powhatan, how he said this news would not sit well with the chief.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone

They spoke a different language from the more coastal Powhatans, the tribe that first had contact with the English at the Jamestown settlement, and they avoided European contact for years.

From Washington Post Mar. 16, 2022

A 1622 uprising by local Powhatans and drought-induced shortages of food contributed to the death toll, but most perished from disease.

From Salon May 3, 2020

Relations with the native residents were mixed, with the Powhatans providing food but also chafing under the demands of colonists, who died by the hundreds in the settlement’s early years.

From Washington Post Oct. 18, 2018

Like the related tribes who had sparred with the Roanoke colonists, the Powhatans grew corn, beans, and squash, lived in bark-covered houses, and hunted game and seafood with stone-tipped arrows.

From Textbooks Jan. 18, 2018

Then two of the new settlers, both gentlemen, tell him how much they want to help make peace with the Powhatans.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone

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