Meaning

noun Atlantic coast round clams with hard shells; large clams usually used for chowders or other clam dishes

noun an edible American clam; the heavy shells were used as money by some American Indians

originMost often thought to be from Narragansett poquaûhock (“hard clam”), or perhaps from pohkeni (“dark”) + hogki (“shell”). Alternatively from Mohegan-Pequot p'quaghhaug (“hard clam”) or another Algonquian language.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0