Wisconsin - The name of a state and a river, said to have been applied to a group of tribes, including the Sauk and Fox, who lived on the banks of the river.  The early French spoke of them as Ouesconsins.  The name is from the Chippewa word meaning "Grassy Place."  There are others who contend that the name Wisconsin came from still another Chippewa word, Wishkonsing, which was translated as "Place of Beaver," or "Muskrat Hole."