Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg

Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg is the official name of a lake in Webster, Massachusetts[?]. The Nipmucks[?] and other tribes gave it a variety of similar names. Many residents of Webster call it Webster Lake, because they can't pronounce the Nipmuck name, but others take pride in reeling off the Nipmuck version.

The name means approximately "Englishmen at Manchaug at the Fishing Place at the Boundary". Manchaug was the name of one of the tribes that lived by the shore of the lake, which was known before the Englishmen came as Chaubunagungamaugg, or "fishing place at the boundary". The lake was a noted fishing spot on the boundary of several tribes' territories, and for that reason was also used as a meeting place.

Larry Daly, editor of the Webster Times, wrote a humorous article about the lake, and about disputes concerning the meaning of its name. He proposed the tongue-in-cheek translation "You Fish on Your Side, I Fish on My Side, Nobody Fish in the Middle", which met with so much popular acceptance that the actual translation is fairly little known.

Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg is the longest place name in the United States and 6th longest in the world.

See also: Longest word in the English language

External Links

• A history of the lake (http://www.oldewebster.com/history/lake_chargogg.htm)