Where does “jumbo” come from?
jumbo (English) comes from Swahili jumbe, from Swahili umba, from Proto-Bantu -bʊ́mba — to work clay.
Ancestry of “jumbo”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Swahili | jumbe | chief, headman |
| 2 | Swahili | umba | to create; to fashion; to make pottery |
| 3 | Proto-Bantu | -bʊ́mba | to work clay |
Words derived from “jumbo”