In the Algonquian language of the Natick Indians, Bogastow means “Runs out in a meadow.” Historically, the term was a place name for the entire Charles River Valley area stretching north and west between Natick and Medway. It was more specifically used by the Natick Praying Indian Village to denote the fertile meadows and floodplains lying west of the Charles river, an area highly valued by both early Indigenous communities and subsequent English settlers for its marsh grass.