Meanings
- datedThe former name of Mumbai, the state capital of Maharashtra, India.
Have you heard any word Of that bloke in the "Third" - Was it Sotherby, Sedgewick or Sim? They had him chucked out of a club in Bombay. But apart from his mess bills exceeding his pay, He took to pig-sticking in quite the wrong way. I wonder what happened to him?
1945, Noël Coward, I Wonder What Happened to Him? - A locality in the Queanbeyan-Palerang council area, south eastern New South Wales, Australia.
- A settlement south of Auckland, New Zealand.
- A town in Franklin County, New York, United States.
- A neighbourhood (Little Bombay) of Marion, Jersey City, New Jersey, United States.
plural Bombays
- abbreviationellipsisEllipsis of Bombay cat (“domestic cat of a medium-sized shorthair breed”).
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*dewh₂-der.?
- Proto-Italic*dwenos
- Old Latinduonus
- Latinbonum
- Old Galician-Portuguesebõo
- Portuguesebom
- Iberianbadia?
- Late Latinbaia
- Portuguesebaía
- PortugueseBombaim
- EnglishBombay
From Portuguese Bombaim, possibly from Marathi मुंबादेवी (mumbādevī, “goddess Mumba”) or from bom + baim. Most likely a combination of both.
More words from Portuguese, Marathi
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian Бомба́й
- Бомба́й (Bombáj)former name of Mumbai — see also Mumbai
Czech Bombaj
- Bombajformer name of Mumbai — see also Mumbai
French Bombay
- Bombayformer name of Mumbai — see also Mumbai
Greek Βομβάη
- Βομβάη (Vomvái)former name of Mumbai — see also Mumbai
Hindi बम्बई, बंबई
- बम्बई (bambaī)former name of Mumbai — see also Mumbai
- बंबई (bambaī)former name of Mumbai — see also Mumbai
Italian Bombay
- Bombayformer name of Mumbai — see also Mumbai
Japanese ボンベイ
- ボンベイformer name of Mumbai — see also Mumbai
Persian بمبئی
- بمبئیformer name of Mumbai — see also Mumbai
Portuguese Bombaim
- Bombaimformer name of Mumbai — see also Mumbai
Romanian Bombay
- Bombayformer name of Mumbai — see also Mumbai
Russian Бомбе́й
- Бомбе́й (Bombéj)former name of Mumbai — see also Mumbai
Spanish Bombay
- Bombayformer name of Mumbai — see also Mumbai
Swedish Bombay
- Bombayformer name of Mumbai — see also Mumbai
Tamil பம்பாய்
- பம்பாய் (pampāy)former name of Mumbai — see also Mumbai
Turkish Bombay
- Bombayformer name of Mumbai — see also Mumbai
Ukrainian Бомбей
- Бомбей (Bombej)former name of Mumbai — see also Mumbai
Urdu بمبئی
- بمبئی (bambaī)former name of Mumbai — see also Mumbai
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with Bombay
All rhymes →Cite this entry
Bombay. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bombay
“Bombay.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bombay. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Bombay,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bombay.
Source: Bombay on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.