Introduction

In which the US states of Mississippi, Michigan, and Massachusetts all have a common ancestor in Algonquian *meʔši-: "large".

But not Missouri. I checked 4 or 5 times because my mind kept rejecting the answer.

Teaser

Michigan, Mississippi, Massachusetts

Full Text

• Algonquian *-ʔči-

  • Central Algonquian

    • Ojibwe ᒋ- chi- big, great, long, very ^[1]
  • Algonquian *meʔši- large (indefinite?)

    • Central Algonquian

      • Miami mihši-

        • Miami mihšipakwa (big) leaf
        • Miami Mihšisiipiiwi
      • Ojibwe *michi- ^[1]

        • Ojibwe *michi-gami

          • English Michigan
        • Ojibwe *michi-ziibi

          • English Mississippi
        • Ojibwe mishiimin apple presumably "[big] berry, big fruit"

          • Ojibwe Mishiiminens-oodena Minneapolis bilingual pun, literally "mini-apple town"
        • Ojibwe ᒋ- chi- big, great, long, very ^[1]
    • Eastern Algonquian

      • Wampanoag mish- ^[2]

        • Wampanoag mishadchu big hill, the Great Blue Hill

          • Wampanoag Mâsachuwesut at the Great Hill
          • English Massachusett
          • English Massachusetts
        • Wampanoag misheepee

          • Wampanoag Mâseepee Large Water (place name) ^[2]
          • English Mashpee
        • Wampanoag *mish-tahssôt high king

          • English Massasoit
        • Wampanoag mishetashin it storms lit. "the wind becomes great"
    • Algonquian *meʔši-sipowi large river

      • Arapaho Beesniicíe Mississippi River
      • Central Algonquian

        • Fox

          • Meskwaki Mäse’sibowi Mississippi River
        • Miami Mihšisiipiiwi
        • Ojibwe *michi-ziibi

          • English Mississippi
      • Eastern Algonquian

        • Wampanoag misheepee

          • Wampanoag Mâseepee Large Water (place name) ^[2]
          • English Mashpee
  • Algonquian *keʔči- large (definite?)

    • Central Algonquian

      • Fox

        • Meskwaki kehči- much, very big
      • Ojibwe ᑭᐦᒋ- gichi- big, great, long, very ^[1]

        • Ojibwe ᑭᐦᒋᑲᒥ gichi-gami ocean, sea, large lake, Lake Superior

          • English Gitche Gumee
        • Ojibwe ᑭᐦᒋᓰᐱ gichi-ziibi Great River, the Mississippi River
        • Ojibwe gichi-manidoo Great Spirit, God

          • Ojibwe gichi-manidoo-giizis January lit. "Great Spirit Month"/"Great Spirit time"
        • Ojibwe ᑭᐦᒋᒨᐦᑯᒫᓂᒧ gichi-mookomaan large knife, sword, white man, American, Virginian

          • Ojibwe ᑭᐦᒋᒨᐦᑯᒫᓂᒧᑭᐊ gichi-mookomaan-aki United States of America lit. "big knife land"/"white man land"
        • Ojibwe gichi-gwaaba'igan Big Dipper (constellation)
        • Ojibwe ᒋ- chi- big, great, long, very ^[1]
    • Cree ᑭᐦᒋ kihci-

      • Cree ᑭᐦᒋ ᓂᐢᑲ kihci-niska Canada goose lit. "big goose"/"great goose"
    • Eastern Algonquian

      • Abenaki kchi big, great
      • Mohegan kôkci- big
• Algic *pekʷ?

  • Yurok pecu up river

    • Yurok Pecheeklaa Upriver People, Karuk
  • Yurok pulekʷ down river

    • Yurok Pueleeklaa Downriver People, River Yurok
  • Yurok wohpekʷ across the water, west
  • Wiyot pet-tsah'-w creek
  • Algonquian *si•powi

    • Arapaho niicii river

      • Arapaho Beesniicíe Mississippi River
    • Central Algonquian

      • Fox

        • Kickapoo θiipoi river
        • Meskwaki sipowi river

          • Meskwaki Mäse’sibowi Mississippi River
      • Miami siipiiwi river

        • Miami Mihšisiipiiwi
      • Ojibwe ᓰᐱ ziibi river

        • Ojibwe ziibiins creek, small river
        • Ojibwe *michi-ziibi

          • English Mississippi
        • Ojibwe ᑭᐦᒋᓰᐱ gichi-ziibi Great River, the Mississippi River
    • Cree ᓰᐱᔾ sîpiy river
    • Eastern Algonquian

      • Abenaki sibo river
      • Mohegan sipo river
    • Algonquian *meʔši-sipowi large river

      • Arapaho Beesniicíe Mississippi River
      • Central Algonquian

        • Fox

          • Meskwaki Mäse’sibowi Mississippi River
        • Miami Mihšisiipiiwi
        • Ojibwe *michi-ziibi

          • English Mississippi
      • Eastern Algonquian

        • Wampanoag misheepee

          • Wampanoag Mâseepee Large Water (place name) ^[2]
          • English Mashpee

Visual

Collected English words

Michigan, Mississippi, Massachusett, Massachusetts, Mashpee, Massasoit, Gitche Gumee

Footnotes

1. ^

   There is almost certainly a connection between *meʔši-: "big" and *keʔči-: "big".

   In modern Ojibwe, the Mississippi and Lake Superior are Gichi-ziibi and Gichi-gami, but English Mississippi and Michigan are understood to come from Ojibwe *Michi-ziibi and *Michi-gami. And there are all those other Algonquian languages use names for the Mississippi corresponding to the *meʔši- form. Also, there is Ojibwe mishiimin: "apple" which is presumably "large berry"—and the delightful bilingual pun Mishiiminens-oodena: "Mini-Apple Town" for "Minneapolis". Perhaps even funnier if mishiiminens is "big-berry-little".

   In fact, Ojibwe also sometimes uses a reduced form chi instead of gichi, though that is considered informal and some Ojibwe elders proscribe it.

   Since in Algonquian nouns are obligatorily possessed, *meʔši- vs. *keʔči- may be a fossilization of *me-ʔči: "somebody's large (noun)" vs. *ke-ʔči: "your large (noun)", perhaps acting like a indefinite/definite distinction.

2. ^

   It's unclear if Mâseepee is from *meʔši-nepyi: "Large Water" -> mâs-nippe or *meʔši-si·po·wi: "Large River" -> mâs-sipu. While mâs-sipu seems to be a better phonological fit, but the origin is generally considered to be *meʔši-nepyi, a better semantic fit.

   Also Wampanoag names with "big, great" as transmitted through English consistently have a a vowel, or a â in revived Wampanoag, but words as recorded in written Wampanoag from the 18th century use a i vowel; such as Mâsachuw(esut) vs mishadchu. Possibly this is dialectical variation?