Q: How did Massachusetts get its name? (via Quora)
A: The name is an Algonquin Indian place name, variously mangled and interpreted by European explorers and settlers.
The History of Massachusetts web site offers several interpretations:
● From the Algonquin “massa” meaning “great” and “wachusett” meaning “mountain place” or “large hill place;” probably referencing the Blue Hills just South of Boston; the most prominent elevation in the area.
● From “Messatossec,” or “Great-Hills-Mouth;” meaning maybe a settlement near what we now call Boston Harbor, at the mouths of the Neponset or Charles Rivers, which rise at or near Blue Hills.
● From: “mos” and “wetuset” meaning “Indian arrowhead.” (That seems the weakest possibility to me.)
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