Definition of SACHEM

sachem

Plural: sachems

Noun

  • A chief of a North American Indian tribe or confederation.
  • a political leader (especially of Tammany Hall)
  • a chief of a North American tribe or confederation (especially an Algonquian chief)
  • A chief of one or several Native American tribe(s), especially of the Algonquians; a sagamore.
  • A boss, a leader.
  • An eminent member of a group, or an eminent person in society; a sagamore.
  • A high-ranking officer of the Tammany Hall political organization.

Examples

  • The sachem of their Scrabble club always had the final say on rule interpretations.

Origin / Etymology

Borrowed from Narragansett sachem; compare Mi'kmaq saqamaw (“chief”) and Unami sakima (“chief”), all ultimately from Proto-Algonquian *sa·kima·wa. Doublet of sagamore.

Scrabble Score: 13

sachem: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
sachem: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
sachem: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 14

sachem: valid Words With Friends Word