sachem
Americannoun
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(among some North American Indians)
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the chief of a tribe.
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the chief of a confederation.
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a member of the governing body of the League of the Iroquois.
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one of the high officials in the Tammany Society.
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Slang. a political party leader.
noun
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a leader of a political party or organization, esp of Tammany Hall
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another name for sagamore
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sachem
First recorded in 1615–25, from southeastern New England Algonquian (compare Narragansett ( English spelling) sâchim, saunchum, Massachusett sontim ), from unattested Proto-Algonquian sa˙kima˙wa; cf. sagamore
Vocabulary lists containing sachem
"Of Plymouth Plantation," Vocabulary from the historical account
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National Spelling Bee '14: Prelims Round 2
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Native American History - Middle School and High School
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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.
Or Opeka, a Shawnee sachem who shrewdly negotiated with the governor of Pennsylvania in 1710 to spare the lives of his people accused of killing colonists?
From New York Times ● Sep. 20, 2022
“They blatantly fooled the whole entire country about this land belonging to them,” said Larry Fisher, who has been working to revive the tribe since becoming its chief sachem in 2014, of the Mashpees.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 9, 2020
When the Pilgrims encountered Ousamequin, they were meeting a paramount sachem, a Massasoit, who commanded the respect necessary to establish strategy for other groups in the region.
From The New Yorker ● Nov. 18, 2019
Massasoit, the Wampanoag sachem, or chief, followed the same logic as Powhatan and thought the English could help him deal with rival tribes, and concluded a treaty of friendship.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 18, 2018
And he attempted to trick the Pilgrims into attacking the sachem.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
