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
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
Metacom, whom the English called King Philip, had replaced his father Massasoit as sachem of the Wampanoags, and lived on the eastern side of Narragansett Bay near the border between Plymouth and Rhode Island.
From Textbooks • Jan. 18, 2018
The modern-day Narragansett sachem — a title used for centuries by some Northeast tribes — is an elected chief executive representing more than 2,400 tribal members.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 23, 2016
In a move that Tisquantum apparently had not anticipated, Bradford dispatched Hobamok’s wife to Massasoit's home to find out what the sachem was doing.
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.
