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A.Word.A.Day--wampum wampum (WOM-puhm) noun 1. Beads made from shells, strung in strands, belts, etc. used for ceremonial purposes, jewelry, and money. 2. Money. [Short for Massachusett wampompeag, from wampan (white) + api (string) + -ag, plural suffix.] "Seems he isn't sure he wants to be part of the Braves' new world unless the front office comes across with more wampum." Crybabies in Midseason Form; Denver Post; Mar 4, 1992. "Or, as GE Chairman Jack Welch said in a talk reported earlier this year by USA Today, 'We've got to get more wampum. That means we've got to have more dot.coms.'" Allan Sloan; Companies Creating New Coin In Push to Enter the Internet Realm; Washington Post; Jul 20, 1999. This week's theme: words borrowed from Native American languages. X-Bonus A successful man is one who makes more money than a wife can spend. A successful woman is one who can find such a man. -Lana Turner, actress (1921-1995)

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