meskousing (Algonquin)

Where does "meskousing" come from?

The Algonquin name 'meskousing' is a compound formation combining 'miskwà' meaning 'red', the element '-hšine' meaning 'to lie', and '-ig' indicating a third person argument meaning 'it'[1]. Together, these elements literally translate to 'it lies red'[1], referencing the Wisconsin River.

Full etymology tree

• meskousing (Algonquin), 'Wisconsin River'
  • compound miskwà (Algonquin)
  • suffix -hšine (Algonquin)
  • suffix -ig (Algonquin)

Cognates and doublets

• meeskohsinki (Miami)

Sources

1. meskousing (Algonquin) - Wiktionary

Updated October 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris