jumbo
JUHM-boh · adjective
SwahiliEnglish
Origin
The word comes from Jumbo (1860–1885), a large African elephant bought in 1882 by American showman P. T. Barnum for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Some also trace it to the phrase 'mumbo jumbo.' Its roots may connect to Swahili jambo ('matter, thing') and jumbe ('chief, headman').
This is Curio: one word's origin story, every morning. No feed, no backlog.
One short email each morning. Free; stop anytime. See a sample →
Journey
What began as the name of one famous elephant grew into a general word for anything of enormous size.
Related words
It may share distant roots with Swahili jambo, meaning 'matter' or 'thing,' and jumbe, meaning 'chief' or 'headman.'