Massachusetts n 1: a state in New England; one of the original 13 colonies [syn: {Bay State}, {Old Colony}, {MA}] 2: a member of the Algonquian people who formerly lived around Massachusetts Bay [syn: {Massachuset}] 3: one of the British colonies that formed the United States [syn: {Massachusetts Bay Colony}] 4: the Algonquian language of the Massachuset people [syn: {Massachuset}]