Date:  Sat, 25 Mar 1995 12:01:52 -0800

From:  Anton Sherwood <dasher[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]NETCOM.COM>

Subject: Ossining / Sing Sing



Wayles Brown asks:

> Sing Sing prison is located in Ossining, New York. Is there any connection

> between the name Sing Sing and the name Ossining? What is their etymology?



That's my cue to pull out "A Concise Dictionary of American Place-Names" by

George R. Stewart (Oxford 1970).



    OSSINING Algonquian `stone(s)-little-at'.



    SING SING From Algonquian `stone(s)-little-at' (cf. Ossining),

    developed by humorous folk-etymology from an original ASSIN-IS-ING.



Anton Sherwood  *\\*  +1 415 267 0685  *\\*  DASher[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]netcom.com