Powhatan

noun

Pow·​ha·​tan ˌpau̇-ə-ˈtan 

pau̇-ˈha-tᵊn

1

plural Powhatan or Powhatans : a member of a confederacy of Indigenous peoples of eastern Virginia

2

: the Algonquian language of the Powhatan people

Examples of Powhatan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Kenwood logo has an Art Deco graphic from the Powhatan Apartment building. — Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 25 Mar. 2026

Her small manufacturing facility in Powhatan, Virginia, relies on carbide tools made of tungsten to make precise cuts. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 21 Mar. 2026

There were high-profile legal scrapes, one for drug possession and a potentially fatal 2005 car accident on a road in Richmond’s Powhatan County. — Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 12 Dec. 2025

Pocahontas’ father Wahunsonacock – whom colonists and Disney called Powhatan – was the paramount chief of the Powhatans, who lived in communities along the edges of Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. — Peter C. Mancall, The Conversation, 25 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1608, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Powhatan

• unbutton
• button
• clutton
• glutton
• mutton

Biographical Definition

Powhatan

biographical name

Pow·​ha·​tan ˌpau̇-ə-ˈtan 

pau̇-ˈha-tᵊn

1550?–1618 Wa-hun-sen-a-cawh or Wahunsonacock; father of Pocahontas chief of the Powhatan people