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wampumpeag

wampumpeag

9.9
Small polished shell beads used as jewelry or money
  • noun
  • /ˈwɑːmpəmˌpiːɡ/
  • Archaic
translation icon : wampum
  • The museum displayed a belt made of wampumpeag that was exchanged during a historic treaty.

Examples

  • In colonial times, wampumpeag was sometimes used as a form of currency in trade.

  • The artisan crafted beautiful wampumpeag necklaces.

  • He admired the intricate patterns created with wampumpeag by indigenous craftsmen.

  • Many tribes used wampumpeag as a form of currency.

  • In colonial times, wampumpeag was sometimes used as a form of currency in trade.

  • He admired the intricate patterns created with wampumpeag by indigenous craftsmen.

  • The museum displayed a belt made of wampumpeag that was exchanged during a historic treaty.

Synonyms

wampum
vswampumpeag
  • US
1 9.9

Small shiny shell beads used by Native American people as jewelry or money

emphasizes being formed into strings or belts rather than gifts
string of beads
vswampumpeag
1 2.7

A row of beads threaded together and worn as jewelry

is the specific polished shell form used traditionally as currency or worn as belts
beads
vswampumpeag
1 1.0

Small round pieces with a hole that you string to make jewelry

is the specific polished shell form used as currency and fashioned into belts
peag
vswampumpeag
  • Archaic
9.9

Small polished shell beads used as jewelry or money by Native American people

is the same concept but is the more widely used traditional term

How Valuable

wampumpeag
  • Archaic
9.9
bead
14 4.1

Surface Forms

wampumpeag singular
wampumpeags plural

Etymology

Wampumpeag comes from a Native American word for strings of polished shell beads, the same idea as wampum, and these beads were worn as 'jewelry' and sometimes used as 'money' in trade. So today wampumpeag refers to those small cylindrical shell beads made for decoration or exchange.