Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

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.


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.


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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

She started at Seneca Health Services in January, working in rural West Virginia counties with residents facing challenges like depression or schizophrenia.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 29, 2025

Legal battles like the one in Seneca Lake are bringing home the realities of an industry that at first glance might seem contained to banks of data servers, removed from the real world.

From BBC • May 22, 2025

The crash took place at 11:09 a.m. at the intersection of Seneca and El Evado roads.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2025

The first argument came from a Roman philosopher called Sextius whom Seneca particularly admired, who had lived in the first century BC and had been known for his simple lifestyle.

From Salon • Nov. 27, 2024

“Now you’re getting it. And old Seneca Gracchus, he had your family’s gift.”

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan