Meanings
lima1
plural limas
- Lima bean (the plant, Phaseolus lunatus).
We planted limas with the corn last night.
- Lima bean (the fruit of the plant).
We had limas with dinner last night.
lima2
plural limas
- international standardsAlternative letter-case form of Lima from the NATO/ICAO Phonetic Alphabet.
Lima3
- The capital city of Peru.
- metonymicallyThe Peruvian government.
- A number of places in the United States:
- A township and village therein, in Adams County, Illinois.
- A township in LaGrange County, Indiana.
- A township in Washtenaw County, Michigan.
- A township in Cass County, Minnesota.
- A town in Beaverhead County, Montana.
- A town and village therein, in Livingston County, New York.
- A city, the county seat of Allen County, Ohio.
- A former township in Licking County, Ohio, merged into Pataskala in 1996.
- A town in Seminole County, Oklahoma.
- A census-designated place in Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
- A town in Grant County, Wisconsin.
- A town and unincorporated community in Pepin County, Wisconsin.
- A town in Rock County, Wisconsin.
- A town in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin.
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
Lima · proper noun
- Classical QuechuaLimaq“the one who speaks”
- SpanishLima
- EnglishLima
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].
More words from Spanish, Classical Quechua
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic لِيمَا
- لِيمَا (līmā)the capital city of Peru
Chinese Mandarin 利馬 /利马
- 利馬 /利马 (Lìmǎ)the capital city of Peru
Czech Lima
- Limathe capital city of Peru
Danish Lima
- Limathe capital city of Peru
Dutch Lima
- Limathe capital city of Peru
Esperanto Limo
- Limothe capital city of Peru
Estonian Lima
- Limathe capital city of Peru
Finnish Lima
- Limathe capital city of Peru
French Lima
- Limathe capital city of Peru
German Lima
- Limathe capital city of Peru
Greek Λίμα
- Λίμα (Líma)the capital city of Peru
Hebrew לִימָה
- לִימָה (lima)the capital city of Peru
Hindi लीमा
- लीमा (līmā)the capital city of Peru
Irish Líoma
- Líomathe capital city of Peru
Italian Lima
- Limathe capital city of Peru
Japanese リマ
- リマ (Rima)the capital city of Peru
Korean 리마
- 리마 (Rima)the capital city of Peru
Polish Lima
- Limathe capital city of Peru
Portuguese Lima
- Limathe capital city of Peru
Russian Ли́ма
- Ли́ма (Líma)the capital city of Peru
Spanish Lima
- Limathe capital city of Peru
Swedish Lima
- Limathe capital city of Peru
Ukrainian Лі́ма
- Лі́ма (Líma)the capital city of Peru
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with lima
Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
lima. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lima
“lima.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lima. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lima,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lima.
Source: lima on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.