jumbo

jumbo · adjective, noun¹

1. Swahili · derived fromjambo“matter, thing”
2. English todayjumbo

From Jumbo (1860–1885), the name given to a large African elephant from East Africa that was purchased in 1882 by American showman P. T. Barnum (1810–1891) for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Compare Swahili jambo (“matter, thing”) and jumbe (“chief, headman”).

jumbo · noun²

From (mumbo) jumbo.

Jumbo · proper noun³

From jumbo, from the 19th-century elephant, Jumbo, from Swahili jumbe (“chief”) jambo (“thing”)