Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Jamaica” come from?

Jamaica derives from Taíno xaymaca, a word of unknown meaning in the indigenous Caribbean language.

Ancestry of “Jamaica”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1TaínoXaymacaland of wood and water

Words derived from “Jamaica”

  • Jamaican
  • jamaicine
  • ジャマイカ
  • 자메이카
Every word from Taíno Xaymaca →