pocosin

Where does the word "pocosin" come from? It comes from Algonquian (Virginia/Carolina) poquosin, and was adopted directly into English (1700s).

Pocosin’s story begins in Algonquian (Virginia/Carolina): poquosin meant “a swamp or marsh.” Referred to a marshy or swampy wetland area. It reached English by 1700s as pocosin. Algonquian 'swamp on a hill'; the Great Dismal Swamp region contains pocosins. Today, pocosin means a type of freshwater wetland found on the coastal plain of the southeastern United States.

1. Stage 1 · Algonquian (Virginia/Carolina) · pre-1700s poquosin "a swamp or marsh", referred to a marshy or swampy wetland area.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1700s pocosin "a freshwater evergreen shrub wetland of the southeastern coastal plain", Algonquian 'swamp on a hill'; the Great Dismal Swamp region contains pocosins.