The lake's name comes from the Algonquian language of the Nipmuc and is often said to mean, "Fishing Place at the Boundaries—Neutral Meeting Grounds." A more fitting translation is "lake divided by islands," according to anthropologist Ives Goddard.
The humorous translation is: "You fish on your side, I'll fish on my side, and no one shall fish in the middle." Its humorous translation was perhaps invented by Laurence J. Daly, editor of The Webster Times.
The exaggerated name "Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg" is a 45-letter alternative name for this body of fresh water, often cited as the longest place name in the United States and one of the longest in the world. Some signs include an even longer 49-letter version of the name, "Chargoggagoggmanchauggauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg." Many area residents and the official website of the town of Webster consider the 45-letter version correct.
Algonquian-speaking people had several different names for the lake as recorded on old maps and historical records. However, all of these were similar in part and had almost the same translation. Among other early names were "Chabanaguncamogue" and "Chaubanagogum." Early town records show the name as "Chabunagungamaug Pond," which was also the name of the local Nipmuc town (recorded in 1668 and 1674 with somewhat different spellings). This has been translated as "boundary fishing place," but something close to "fishing place at the boundary" or "that which is a divided island lake" may be more accurate.
Webster Lake is a 1,442-acre (5.84 km2) lake with a 17-mile (27 km) shoreline in southern Massachusetts, near the Connecticut border. It is the fourth largest fresh body of water in Massachusetts, after slightly larger Long Pond, The Wachusett Reservoir in Clinton, and the much larger Quabbin Reservoir. The average depth is 13 feet (4.0 m) and the maximum depth is 49 feet (15 m).