muskellunge

Where does the word "muskellunge" come from? It comes from Ojibwe maashkinoozhe, passing through Canadian French before entering English (1780s-1790s).

Muskellunge’s story begins in Ojibwe: maashkinoozhe meant “ugly pike.” Literally 'ugly pike', naming the large predatory freshwater fish. By 1700s, the word had taken hold in Canadian French as masquinongé. Adapted by French-Canadian trappers and fishers in the Great Lakes region. It reached English by 1780s-1790s as muskellunge. Anglicized from the French-Canadian form. Today, muskellunge means a large predatory freshwater fish of the pike family, prized by anglers in the Great Lakes region.

1. Stage 1 · Ojibwe · pre-1700s maashkinoozhe "ugly pike", literally 'ugly pike', naming the large predatory freshwater fish.
2. Stage 2 · Canadian French · 1700s masquinongé "a large freshwater game fish", adapted by French-Canadian trappers and fishers in the Great Lakes region.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1780s-1790s muskellunge "a large predatory freshwater fish of the pike family", anglicized from the French-Canadian form.