This week's theme
Words borrowed from Native American languages

This week's words
sachem
wampum
high-muck-a-muck
manitou
powwow

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(HY-muk-uh-muk)

MEANING:

noun: An important, high-ranking person, especially one who behaves in a pompous or arrogant manner.
(also high-mucky-muck, high-muckety-muck, high muckamuck, muck-a-muck, muckety-muck, etc.)

ETYMOLOGY:

From Chinook Jargon hayo makamak (plenty to eat), from hayo (ten or plenty) + Nootka makamak (eat, food, the part of whale meat between blubber and flesh.

USAGE:

"You also need some high-muck-a-mucks on your team. It makes sense for a high-level HR manager to be included."
Jim Romeo; Less Pain, More Gain in ERP Rollouts; Network Computing (Manhasset, NY); Sep 17, 2001.

"Politicians, agency heads and identified high muckamucks decide which objectives to pursue and what directions and specific projects will fulfill those objectives."
Julia Steiny; It's Time to Spread the Wealth; Providence Journal (Rhode Island); Apr 25, 1999.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: