Etymograph

English

Topeka

Topeka comes from Kansa Dópik’é.

  1. KansamodernDópik’éi.e. wildliterally ‘place to dig good (i.e. wild) potatoes’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1968Topeka

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. KansamodernDópik’éi.e. wildliterally ‘place to dig good (i.e. wild) potatoes’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1968Topeka

Earliest quotation: 1968, Randy Newman, The Beehive State: “Well Kansas is for the farmer We stand behind…”

The story

Borrowed from Kansa Dópik’é (“Topeka; Kansas River”, literally “place to dig good (i.e. wild) potatoes”), from do (‘tuber, potato’) + pi (‘to be good’) + kʼe (‘to dig’).

Every English word from Kansa Dópik’é

Today it means

name The capital city of Kansas, United States and the county seat of Shawnee County.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Kansa Dópik’é / Topeka

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