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Prominent, or major, or an aboriginal whisper, described by Walt Witty Man, in Mannahatta, as
“liquid, sane, unruly, musical, self-sufficient,”
Let us remember how common the aboriginal whisper is in the naming of American cities, including the prominent, major, or “out of the way”:
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State Names
Alabama – named for the Alibamu, a tribe whose name derives from a Choctaw phrase meaning “thicket-clearers”[1] or “plant-cutters” (from albah, “(medicinal) plants”, and amo, “to clear”).[2]
Alaska – from the Aleut phrase alaxsxaq, meaning “the object towards which the action of the sea is directed”).[3]
Arizona – disputed origin; likely from the O’odham phrase ali ṣona-g, meaning “having a little spring”.[4]
Arkansas – from the Illinois rendering of the tribal autonym kką:ze (see Kansas, below), which the Miami and Illinois used to refer to the Quapaw.[4]
Connecticut – from some Eastern Algonquian language of southern New England (perhaps Mahican), meaning “at the long tidal river” (after the Connecticut River).[5][6] Campbell suggest an origin from the Mohegan meaning simply “long river”.[7]
Idaho – may be from Plains Apache ídaahę́, “enemy”, used to refer to the Comanches,[8] or it may have been an invented word.
Illinois – from the French rendering of an Algonquian (perhaps Miami) word apparently meaning “s/he speaks normally” (cf. Miami ilenweewa),[9] from Proto-Algonquian *elen-, “ordinary” + -wē, “to speak”,[10][11] referring to the Illiniwek.
Iowa – from Dakota ayúxba or ayuxwe, via French Aiouez.[12][13][14]
Kansas – from the autonym kką:ze.
Kentucky – from an Iroquoian word meaning “at the meadow” or “on the prairie”[15] (cf. Seneca gëdá’geh [kẽtaʔkeh], “at the field”).[16]
Massachusetts – from an Algonquian language of southern New England, and apparently means “near the small big mountain”, usually identified as Great Blue Hill on the border of Milton and Canton, Massachusetts[17] (cf. the Narragansett name Massachusêuck).[17]
Michigan – from the Ottawa phrase mishigami, meaning “large water” or “large lake”.”.[18][19]
Minnesota – from the Dakota phrase mni-sota, roughly meaning “cloudy water”.[7][20]
Mississippi – from an Algonquian language, probably Ojibwe, meaning “big river” (Ojibwe misiziibi).[18][21]
Missouri – named for the Missouri tribe, whose name comes from Illinois mihsoori, “dugout canoe”.[22]
Nebraska – from the Chiwere phrase ñįbraske, meaning “flattened water”.[23]
New Mexico – the name “Mexico” comes from Nahuatl Mēxihco, of unknown derivation.[24][failed verification]
North Dakota and South Dakota – dakhóta comes from the Sioux word for “friend” or “ally”.[23]
Ohio – from Seneca ohi:yo’, “beautiful river”.[25]
Oklahoma – invented by Chief Allen Wright as a rough translation of “Indian Territory”; in Choctaw, okla means “people”, “tribe”, or “nation”, and homa- means “red”, thus: “Red people”.[7][26]
Tennessee – derived from the name of a Cherokee village, Tanasi, whose etymology is unknown.[27]
Texas – from the Caddo phrase táyshaʔ, meaning “friend”.[28][29]
Utah – from a language of one of the Ute tribe’s neighbors, such as Western Apache yúdah, “high up”.[30]
Wisconsin – originally “Mescousing”, from an Algonquian language, though the source and meaning is not entirely clear; most likely from the Miami word Meskonsing meaning “it lies red”[31][32] (cf. Ojibwe miskosin).[18]
Wyoming – from the Munsee Delaware phrase xwé:wamənk, meaning “at the big river flat”.[33]
— all from a Wikipedia article.
Spam of Human Affection 
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