wampum † [< Algonk.: Narraganset wampompeag strings of white (things)] Hist. DCHP-1 (pre-1967)
1 n.
a bead or beads of shell, Venus mercenaria, later also of porcelain, important as a kind of currency among eastern Indians.
See also: porcelain(e) shell wampum wampum bead
2 n.
a belt of wampum (def. 1), often worked in significant designs, used by Indians as a reminder of a treaty or agreement, etc.
See also: wampum belt