menhaden

Where does the word "menhaden" come from? It comes from Narragansett munnawhatteaug, and was adopted directly into English (1750s).

Menhaden’s story begins in Narragansett: munnawhatteaug meant “a fish used as fertilizer.” Named the oily fish that coastal Algonquian peoples used to fertilize corn crops. It reached English by 1750s as menhaden. Adapted by English colonists in New England who adopted the same fish and farming practice. Today, menhaden means a small, bony, oily fish found along the Atlantic coast, harvested for fish oil and meal.

1. Stage 1 · Narragansett · 1600s munnawhatteaug "a fish used as fertilizer", named the oily fish that coastal Algonquian peoples used to fertilize corn crops.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1750s menhaden "a small, oily fish used historically as fertilizer and bait", adapted by English colonists in New England who adopted the same fish and farming practice.