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Where does the word "jumbo" come from? It comes from Swahili jumbe, passing through English before entering English (1880s-1900s).
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Where does the word "jumbo" come from? It comes from Swahili jumbe, passing through English before entering English (1880s-1900s).
Jumbo’s story begins in Swahili: jumbe meant “chief, leader.” Meaning "chief" or "leader". By 1880s, the word had taken hold in English as Jumbo. The name given to a famously huge circus elephant, popularizing the word. It reached English by 1880s-1900s as jumbo. Generalized to describe anything unusually large. Today, jumbo means very large, especially of a size larger than usual.
- Stage 1 · Swahili · medieval jumbe "chief, leader", meaning "chief" or "leader".
- Stage 2 · English · 1880s Jumbo "a famous giant circus elephant", the name given to a famously huge circus elephant, popularizing the word.
- Stage 3 · English · 1880s-1900s jumbo "unusually large", generalized to describe anything unusually large.