lima

lima · noun¹

Ellipsis of lima bean. Doublet of Lima.

Lima · proper noun²

1. Classical Quechua · borrowed fromLimaq“the one who speaks”
2. Spanish · borrowed fromLima
3. English todayLima

Borrowed from Spanish Lima, in turn, borrowed from Classical Quechua Limaq (“the one who speaks”), cognate with modern Quechua rimaq, from the name of a sanctuary identified as the Huaca de Santa Ana. The variation of /r/ > /l/ is product of the former "coastal" variety of Quechua spoken around modern-day Lima. The drop of final /q/ could be attributed either to another characteristic of Coastal Quechua or to Spanish adaptation. Ultimately derived from rimay (“to speak”). Doublet of lima [bean].

Words from the same roots