wampum

Clipped from wampumpeag (from Narragansett [Term?]; compare the opposite clipping peag), which is a compound of wamp, wompi (“white”) + umpe (“string”) + -ag (plural suffix), and referred to the string of white shell-beads rather than the individual beads.

• IPA^(key): /ˈwɒmpəm/

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wampum (countable and uncountable, plural wampums or wampum)

1. Small beads made from polished shells, especially white ones, formerly used as money and jewelry by certain Native American peoples.
2. A string of such beads.
3. (slang) Money.
   • 1955, J P Donleavy, The Ginger Man, France, published 1955, page 192:

     [Kenneth O'Keefe, letter] Have that seven quid. Or else I'll be kaput.
     [Sebastian Dangerfield, letter in reply] Kenneth, we all want wampum. And as you must know, if only I had some I would be only too willing to share. But the only thing I have here is a pile of business magazines which I am going to burn for a fire.

   • 1965 December, Phil Ochs, “That Was The Year That Weren't”, in Cavalier:

     […] and more and more people in the folk world suddenly discovered there was more than a little wampum to be made by discovering a trace of Indian blood in their past and donning the traditional headband.

• (small beads): seawan, peag; porcelain (such objects or strings of them)

• (white shells): suckanhock (black shells)

• wampum belt
• Wampumgate