wampum: Meaning and Definition of

wam•pum

Pronunciation: (wom'pum, wôm'-), [key]
— n.
  1. Also calledcylindrical beads made from shells, pierced and strung, used by North American Indians as a medium of exchange, for ornaments, and for ceremonial and sometimes spiritual purposes, esp. such beads when white but also including the more valuable black or dark-purple varieties.
  2. money.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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