Hackmatack definition

hăkmə-tăk
Any of several North American trees, especially the tamarack.
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A larch, a tree of the species Larix laricina.
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The wood of these trees.
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A balsam poplar, a tree of the species Populus balsamifera.
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Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
hackmatack
Plural:
hackmatacks

Origin of hackmatack

  • Earlier hakmantak, hacmontac perhaps from Western Abenaki

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • In the 19th century, some authorities questioned if tacamahac, tamarack, and hackmatack could be cognate to one another, perhaps all corruptions of one term, but such cognancy is unlikely.

    From Wiktionary

  • Believed to derive from Abenaki, though no specific etymon has been found. The term is first attested in the 1760s–90s, when it was spelled hakmantak and referred to dense forest.

    From Wiktionary

  • Compare the late 19th century German Low German term Hackemtackem (“tacamahac (medicinal resin)”).

    From Wiktionary