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Stage 1 of 3
ma·ḥo·ma(q-)
Nuu-chah-nulth · pre-1800s
"food, part of whale meat"
referred to a rich part of whale meat, later broadened to mean food or plenty
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Stage 2 of 3
hayo muckamuck
Chinook Jargon · 1800s
"plenty of food"
combined with 'hiyu' (plenty) to mean 'plenty to eat' in the Pacific Northwest trade language
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Stage 3 of 3
high muckamuck
English · 1850s-1860s
"an important or self-important person"
folk-etymologized in English as 'high', producing a phrase for an important, self-important person
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