Missouri

[David Costa]

Yeah, as Alan pointed out, the PA root */wi:k-/ 'dwell' is also present in
PA */wi:kiwa:Hmi/ 'house, wigwam'. English 'wigwam' looks like the Abenaki
reflex of that PA word, /wigwôm/. 'Wickiup' is the Kickapoo/Fox form of the
same etymon, as in Fox /wi:kiya:pi/. 'Wetu', which is sometimes used in
English to describe the houses the people of southern New England made, is
also the same etymon, probably phonemic Massachusett /wity at w/ ('@' = schwa).

It also appears in verbs, as in Miami /wiikici/, Menominee /we:kew/, and
Cree /wi:kiw/ 'he dwells'. However, as a final and a dependent noun it's
plain /-i:k-/, as in */ni:ki/ 'my lodge, my house', */ki:ki/ 'your lodge,
your house'.

Thanks for your patience with the non-Siouan digressions. :-)

Dave

>> Of course. But that's in the English. My point is just that the Illinois root
>> <8ic8ess-> seems to mean plain 'birch'.

> Any connection with "wigwam"?  I noticed the similarity in the first four
> segments.

> JEK