Seneca

¹ American  

[sen-i-kuh] / ˈsɛn ɪ kə /

noun

plural

Senecas,

plural

Seneca

1. a member of the largest tribe of the Iroquois Confederacy of North American Indians, formerly inhabiting western New York and being conspicuous in the wars south and west of Lake Erie.

2. an Iroquoian language of the Seneca, Onondaga, and Cayuga tribes.

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Seneca ² American  

[sen-i-kuh] / ˈsɛn ɪ kə /

noun

1. Lucius Annaeus c4 b.c.–a.d. 65, Roman philosopher and writer of tragedies.

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Seneca ¹ British  

/ ˈsɛnɪkə /

noun

1. a member of a North American Indian people formerly living south of Lake Ontario; one of the Iroquois peoples

2. the language of this people, belonging to the Iroquoian family

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Seneca ² British  

/ ˈsɛnɪkə /

noun

1. Lucius Annaeus (əˈniːəs), called the Younger. ?4 _bc –65 _ad , Roman philosopher, statesman, and dramatist; tutor and adviser to Nero. He was implicated in a plot to murder Nero and committed suicide. His works include Stoical essays on ethical subjects and tragedies that had a considerable influence on Elizabethan drama

2. his father, Marcus (ˈmɑːkəs) or Lucius Annaeus, called the Elder or the Rhetorician. ?55 _bc –?39 _ad , Roman writer on oratory and history

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Other Word Forms

• Senecan adjective

Etymology

Origin of Seneca

From the New York Dutch word Sennecaas, etc., originally applied to the Oneida and, more generally, to all the Upper Iroquois (as opposed to the Mohawk), probably < an unattested Mahican name

Example Sentences

The devotion is well-earned: Smith can quote Jefferson verbatim and cites Seneca and Enlightenment philosophers without blinking.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Jane, a Seneca woman, is influenced by tribal teachings.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

In Guo’s re-reading, it is not just Ishmael that was recast, as Ahab now appears in the form of a freed black man named Seneca.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 5, 2026

"It's an annoyance," says Ellen Campbell, who owns a house on Seneca Lake a short distance away.

From BBC • May 22, 2025

She refused to back down, and Henry did, in fact, leave Seneca Falls during the meeting to avoid any association with what he considered an outrageous idea.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling