Meaning & use
the Mohicans
Last updated
Meanings
proper nounplural
A Native American people who originally lived in the Hudson River valley area of what is now New York State.
Grammar: Always used with 'the' and a plural verb: The Mohicans were farmers and traders.
Patterns
- the Mohicans lived in something
- the Mohicans were known for something
The Mohicans lived along the Hudson River long before European settlers arrived.
Many people first hear of the Mohicans from the novel The Last of the Mohicans.
The Mohicans were closely related to other Algonquian-speaking peoples.
proper nounplural
A member of this Native American people.
Grammar: Used like a plural noun for the people as a group; a single person is usually called 'a Mohican'.
Patterns
- a Mohican
He said his grandmother was a Mohican from the Hudson Valley.
The museum displays objects made by Mohicans in the 1700s.
Common combinations
- the last of the Mohicans
- The phrase 'the last of the Mohicans' is often used for the final survivor of a group.
- Mohican people
- The Mohican people have worked to keep their language alive.
- Mohican history
- She studied Mohican history at university.
Synonyms and how they differ
- Mahican
- An older spelling of the same people's name, now less common; use 'Mohican' in modern writing.
Commonly confused: the Mohicans or Mohegan?
the Mohicans vs Mohegan
A different Native American people from Connecticut; 'Mohican' and 'Mohegan' sound alike but are not the same group.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'the Mohicans' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'The Mohicans' is a plural proper noun, so it takes a plural verb: 'were'. 'Is' and 'was' are singular and do not agree; 'a Mohicans' wrongly mixes a singular article with a plural noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “the Mohicans”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.