Jamaica

See also: jamaica and jamaicà

English

Pronunciation

  • enPR: jə-mā
  • (Received Pronunciation, General American, Canada) IPA(key): /d͡ʒəˈmeɪ.kə/
    Audio (UK):(file)
    Audio (US):(file)
  • (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA(key): /d͡ʒəˈmæɪ.kə/
  • (Scotland) IPA(key): /d͡ʒəˈme.kə/
  • (India) IPA(key): /d͡ʒaˈmeː.ka/
  • Rhymes: -eɪkə
  • Hyphenation: Ja‧mai‧ca

Etymology 1

Derived from Taíno Xaymaca (land of wood and water), from Taíno maca (wood).

Alternative forms

Proper noun

Jamaica

  1. An island and country in the Caribbean.
    • 2025 July 8, Zoe Sottile, “He was born to a US citizen soldier on an army base in Germany. Now he’s been deported to Jamaica, a country he’d never been to”, in CNN[2], archived from the original on 10 July 2025:
      Thomas says the saga resulting in him being stranded and homeless in Jamaica started in February, when he was evicted from the apartment he shared with friends in Killeen, Texas, about an hour north of Austin.
Derived terms
Descendants
  • Japanese: ジャマイカ (Jamaika)
Translations

See also

Further reading

Etymology 2

After Kuchamakin, a Massachusett leader; from Massachusett.[1]

Proper noun

Jamaica

  1. Jamaica Plain, Boston, a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.

Etymology 3

From the Massachusett word for “beaver”, tummunk. Compare next etymology. Doublet of Tamaqua and Etymology 4.

Proper noun

Jamaica

  1. A town in Vermont. See Jamaica, Vermont on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Etymology 4

From earlier Jamaco, Jemaco, Jameco, borrowed from Munsee amoxkw (beaver), or another Lenape language. Doublet of Tamaqua and Etymology 3.

Proper noun

Jamaica

  1. A neighborhood of Queens, New York. See Jamaica, Queens on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

References

  1. ^ Jamaica Plain Historical Society - Native Americans in Jamaica Plain”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)[1], 12 April 2010 (last accessed), archived from the original on 3 December 2011

Catalan

Pronunciation

  • Audio (Valencia):(file)
  • Hyphenation: Ja‧mai‧ca

Proper noun

Jamaica f

  1. Jamaica (an island and country in the Caribbean)

Central Nahuatl

Proper noun

Jamaica

  1. Jamaica (an island and country in the Caribbean)

Danish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɕa.mɑjˈka/
  • Rhymes: -a
  • Hyphenation: Ja‧mai‧ca

Proper noun

Jamaica

  1. Jamaica (an island and country in the Caribbean)

Dutch

Etymology

Ultimately derived from Taíno Xaymaca.

Pronunciation

  • (Northern Netherlands) IPA(key): /ˌdʒaːˈmɑi.kaː/, /ˌjaːˈmɑi.kaː/
  • (Limburg) IPA(key): /ʒaː.mɛɪ.kaː/, /dʒaː.mɛɪ.kaː/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: Ja‧mai‧ca

Proper noun

Jamaica n

  1. Jamaica (an island and country in the Caribbean)

Hungarian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈjɒmɒjikɒ]
  • Rhymes: -kɒ
  • Hyphenation: Ja‧ma‧i‧ca

Proper noun

Jamaica

  1. Jamaica (an island and country in the Caribbean)

Declension

Inflection (stem in long/high vowel, back harmony)
singular plural
nominative Jamaica
accusative Jamaicát
dative Jamaicának
instrumental Jamaicával
causal-final Jamaicáért
translative Jamaicává
terminative Jamaicáig
essive-formal Jamaicaként
essive-modal
inessive Jamaicában
superessive Jamaicán
adessive Jamaicánál
illative Jamaicába
sublative Jamaicára
allative Jamaicához
elative Jamaicából
delative Jamaicáról
ablative Jamaicától
non-attributive
possessive – singular
Jamaicáé
non-attributive
possessive – plural
Jamaicáéi
Possessive forms of Jamaica
possessor single possession multiple possessions
1st person sing. Jamaicám
2nd person sing. Jamaicád
3rd person sing. Jamaicája
1st person plural Jamaicánk
2nd person plural Jamaicátok
3rd person plural Jamaicájuk

Derived terms

  • jamaicai

See also

Jamaican Creole

Alternative forms

  • Jamieka, Jumieka

Etymology

From Taíno Xaymaca (land of wood and water).[1]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /d͡ʒʌˈmʲeːka/, /d͡ʒaˈmʲeːka/
  • Hyphenation: Ja‧mai‧ca

Proper noun

Jamaica

  1. Jamaica (an island and country in the Caribbean)
    Synonyms: Jamdown, Jamdung, Jamrock, Yard

References

  1. ^ Harry S. Pariser (1990) Jamaica: A Visitor's Guide (in English), →ISBN, page 1:“No other island in the Caribbean conjures up such evocative images as Jamaica. The island's name comes from the Arawak Indian name, Xaymaca, which means "Land of Wood and Water." []

Norwegian Bokmål

Proper noun

Jamaica

  1. Jamaica (an island and country in the Caribbean)

Norwegian Nynorsk

Proper noun

Jamaica

  1. Jamaica (an island and country in the Caribbean)

Portuguese

Etymology

From Arawakan/Taíno xaymaca.

Pronunciation

 
  • (Brazil) IPA(key): /ʒaˈmaj.kɐ/ [ʒaˈmaɪ̯.kɐ]
    • (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /ʒaˈmaj.ka/ [ʒaˈmaɪ̯.ka]

  • Hyphenation: Ja‧mai‧ca

Proper noun

Jamaica f

  1. Jamaica (an island and country in the Caribbean)

Derived terms

Spanish

Etymology

From Arawakan/Taíno xaymaca.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /xaˈmaika/ [xaˈmai̯.ka]
  • Audio (Spain):(file)
  • Rhymes: -aika
  • Syllabification: Ja‧mai‧ca

Proper noun

Jamaica f

  1. Jamaica (an island and country in the Caribbean)
    • 2025 June 20, Randi Kaye and David von Blohn, “El ICE renueva acuerdo con el centro de detención que, según la agencia, no cumplía las normas”, in CNN en Español[3]:
      Michael Wallace, deportado a Jamaica, su país de origen, padece epilepsia.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Derived terms

Descendants

Further reading

Swahili

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Proper noun

Jamaica

  1. Jamaica (an island and country in the Caribbean)

Swedish

Pronunciation

  • Audio:(file)

Proper noun

Jamaica n (genitive Jamaicas)

  1. Jamaica (an island and country in the Caribbean)

See also

References

Welsh

Pronunciation

Proper noun

Jamaica f (not mutable)

  1. Jamaica (an island and country in the Caribbean)

Coordinate terms

Coordinate terms