The Literal Translation of U.S. State and U.S. Cities
From the River of Ambush to Breast-like Hill, America is built on its stories — and many of these stories are embedded in the place names of our cities and states..
To know the meaning of the place names around us is to learn how the land, the history and the culture of a locality have developed over the centuries. And if it boosts your vocabulary and provides the occasional crossword answer, too, we at WordTips are even more in favor.
The names above are the literal translations of Missoula (River of Ambush) in Montana and Manchester (Breast-like Hill) in New Hampshire. The first recalls a history of inter-tribal fighting, while Breast-like Hill can trace its name to the building of a Roman fort on a voluptuous mound in Manchester, UK, around 79 CE. Centuries later, one Samuel Blodget — who had seen the barge canals in the British Manchester — decided his New Hampshire town would benefit from similar waterways; he built them and suggested the area adopt the name of the city that inspired him.
But how about the rest of the U.S.? We put on our etymology hats and set off into dictionary country to find out.
Researchers at WordTips trawled a variety of sources, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Online Etymology Dictionary, the Encyclopedia Britannica, the American Library Association and regional news reports to uncover the literal meaning behind the name of each U.S. state, each U.S. state’s capital city and 178 of America’s biggest cities.
