Des Moines

English

Etymology

From the French name of the nearby Rivière des Moines, which superficially means "river of the monks" and has traditionally been interpreted as a reference to the Trappist monks who settled along it. "It is more likely, however, to be a name of Native American origin, recorded in a 1673 text as moinguena", a Miami designation of the Moingona. The precise interpretation is uncertain; see Moingona.[1]

Pronunciation
  • (Des Moines, Iowa): IPA(key): /dəˈmɔɪn/
  • (Des Moines, Washington): IPA(key): /dəˈmɔɪnz/
  • Rhymes: -ɔɪn

Proper noun

Des Moines

  1. The capital city of the state of Iowa in the United States of America, and the county seat of Polk County.
  2. A village in New Mexico.
  3. A city in Washington.
  4. A tributary of the Mississippi River.

Derived terms

Translations

References
  1. Adrian Room, Placenames of the World (2006, →ISBN: "The river's own name is traditionally derived from French des moines, "of the monks", referring to French Trappist monks who settled here. It is more likely, however, to be a name of Native American origin, recorded in a 1673 text as moinguena. Recent research has interpreted this as Miami-Illinois mooyiinkweena, meaning "shitface," from mooy, "excrement," iinkwee, "face," and the suffix -na, a humorous (or abusive) nickname used by the Peoria Indians for their Illinois-speaking neighbors."

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