quahog

Where does the word "quahog" come from? It comes from Narragansett poquauhock, and was adopted directly into English (1600s).

Quahog’s story begins in Narragansett: poquauhock meant “a hard-shelled clam.” The name for the hard-shelled clam. It reached English by 1600s as quahog. Narragansett 'poquauhock'; the purple shell was used to make wampum. Today, quahog means an edible clam with a thick, hard shell, found along the Atlantic coast.

1. Stage 1 · Narragansett · pre-1600s poquauhock "a hard-shelled clam", the name for the hard-shelled clam.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1600s quahog "an edible hard-shelled clam", Narragansett 'poquauhock'; the purple shell was used to make wampum.