sachem

[ sey-chuh m ]
/ ˈseɪ tʃəm /

noun

(among some North American Indians)
  1. the chief of a tribe.
  2. the chief of a confederation.
a member of the governing body of the League of the Iroquois.
one of the high officials in the Tammany Society.
Slang. a political party leader.

Origin of sachem

1615–25, Americanism; < southeastern New England Algonquian (compare Narragansett (E spelling) sâchim, saunchum, Massachusett sontim) < Proto-Algonquian *sa˙kima˙wa; cf. sagamore

OTHER WORDS FROM sachem

sa·chem·dom, noun sa·chem·ic [sey-chem-ik, sey-chuh-mik] /seɪˈtʃɛm ɪk, ˈseɪ tʃə mɪk/, adjective sa·chem·ship, noun

Example sentences from the Web for sachem

British Dictionary definitions for sachem

sachem
/ (ˈseɪtʃəm) /

noun

US a leader of a political party or organization, esp of Tammany Hall
another name for sagamore

Derived forms of sachem

sachemic (seɪˈtʃɛmɪk, ˈseɪtʃə-), adjective

Word Origin for sachem

C17: from Narraganset sǎchim chief