/wom"peuhm, wawm"-/ , n.
1. Also called peag, seawan, sewan . cylindrical 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. Informal. money.
[ 1630-40; short for WAMPUMPEAG ]