Oneonta is an Iroquois (Native American) wor that is locally pronounced "Oh-nee-AHN-tah" or "Ah-nee-AHN-tah". The word is thought to mean a meeting place, an outcropping of rocks, place among the hills, but the actual meaning is unknown. It is used in the names of several places in diverse locations in the United States of America, the original being Oneonta, New York: