Lake Chaubunagungamaug - Wikipedia
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Lake Chaubunagungamaug
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Coordinates: 42°02′30″N 71°50′30″W / 42.04167°N 71.84167°W / 42.04167; -71.84167
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lake in the town of Webster, Massachusetts, United States
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Location within Massachusetts<br>Show map of Massachusetts
manchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg"}'><br>Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg
Location within the United States<br>Show map of the United States
LocationWebster, MassachusettsCoordinates42°02′30″N 71°50′30″W / 42.04167°N 71.84167°W / 42.04167; -71.84167[[Geographic coordinate system|Coordinates]]: {{#parsoid\u0000fragment:11}}[https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Lake_Chaubunagungamaug¶ms=42_02_30_N_71_50_30_W_type:waterbody_region:US-MA 42°02′30″N 71°50′30″W / 42.04167°N 71.84167°W / 42.04167; -71.84167][[Category:Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas]]"}}'/>TypeLakeBasin countriesUnited StatesMax. length3.25 mi (5.23 km)Max. width1.125 mi (1.811 km)Surface area<br>1,442 acres (584 ha)Average depth<br>13 ft (4.0 m)Max. depth49 ft (15 m)Shore length1<br>17 mi (27 km)Surface elevation<br>477 ft (145 m)Islands81 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.<br>Lake Chaubunagungamaug , also known as Webster Lake , is a lake in the town of Webster, Massachusetts. It is located near the state’s border with Connecticut and has a surface area of 1,442 acres (2.253 mi2). Since 1921, the lake has also been known by a much longer name having 45 letters comprising fourteen syllables: Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg . The lake has become famous beyond Central Massachusetts for having the longest name of any geographic feature in all of the United States.
Name
The lake's name comes from the Algonquian language of the Nipmuc and is often said to mean, "Fishing Place at the Boundaries—Neutral Meeting Grounds."[1] A more fitting translation is "lake divided by islands," according to anthropologist Ives Goddard.[2]
Today, "Webster Lake" may be the name most used, but some (including many residents of Webster) take pride in reeling off the longer versions.{{cite web|last=Miller|first=Jeff|date=1 April 2006|url=http://members.aol.com/gulfhigh2/words10.html|title=A Collection of Word Oddities and Trivia|access-date=May 25, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013132235/http://members.aol.com/gulfhigh2/words10.html|archive-date=2007-10-13}} --> This lake has several alternative names. Lake Chaubunagungamaug is the name of the lake as recognized by the U.S. Department of the Interior,[3] and is the name appearing in the earliest local records.[2]
Algonquian-speaking people had several different names for the lake as recorded on old maps and historical records. However, all of these were similar in part and had almost the same translation. Among other early names were "Chabanaguncamogue" and "Chaubanagogum."[4] Early town records show the name as "Chabunagungamaug Pond," which was also the name of the local Nipmuc town (recorded in 1668 and 1674 with somewhat different spellings). This has been translated as "boundary fishing place,"[5] but something close to "fishing place at the boundary" or "that which is a divided island lake" may be more accurate.[6]
A 1795 map of Massachusetts indicated the name, using the long form's first eight syllables, as "Chargoggagoggmanchoggagogg."[7] A survey of the lake done in 1830 lists the name as "Chaubunagungamaugg," the six-syllable older name. The following year, both Dudley and Oxford, which then adjoined the lake, filed maps listing the lake by its eight-syllable form, as "Chargoggagoggmanchoggagogg."[4] Anthropologist Ives Goddard considers that 1831 name to be a cartographer's creation that corrupted the actual name while confusing this lake with nearby Manchaug Pond.[2]
Long name
The exaggerated name "Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg" is a 45-letter alternative name for this body of fresh water, often cited as the longest place...