jamaica
/d͡ʒəˈmeɪ.kə/ noun, proper noun
Forms Jomayca Jamacia
- noun roselle
- proper noun An island and country in the Caribbean.
- proper noun Jamaica Plain, Boston, a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.
- proper noun A town in Windham County, Vermont. See Jamaica, Vermont on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- proper noun A neighborhood of Queens, New York. See Jamaica, Queens on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Etymology
Borrowed from Spanish jamaica.
Taíno Xaymaca (land of wood and water)bor.
Derived from Taíno Xaymaca (“land of wood and water”), from Taíno maca (“wood”).
After Kuchamakin, a Massachusett leader; from Massachusett.
From the Massachusett word for “beaver”, tummunk. Compare next etymology. Doublet of Tamaqua and Etymology 4.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “jamaica”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details