wapato

Where does the word "wapato" come from? It comes from Cree/Algonquian wapatowa, passing through Chinook Jargon before entering English (1805).

Wapato’s story begins in Cree/Algonquian: wapatowa meant “a wetland plant with an edible tuber.” Possibly meant 'white mushroom', later applied to a starchy wetland tuber. By 1800s, the word had taken hold in Chinook Jargon as wapato. Lewis and Clark's expedition ate wapato on the Columbia River in 1805. It reached English by 1805 as wapato. Recorded by the Lewis and Clark expedition and adopted into regional English. Today, wapato means an edible aquatic tuber, also called duck potato or arrowhead, traditionally harvested along the Columbia River.

1. Stage 1 · Cree/Algonquian · pre-1800s wapatowa "a wetland plant with an edible tuber", possibly meant 'white mushroom', later applied to a starchy wetland tuber.
2. Stage 2 · Chinook Jargon · 1800s wapato "an edible aquatic tuber, also called duck potato", Lewis and Clark's expedition ate wapato on the Columbia River in 1805.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1805 wapato "an edible wetland tuber traditionally harvested in the Pacific Northwest", recorded by the Lewis and Clark expedition and adopted into regional English.