Jemima - Wiktionary

English

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Etymology

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From the name of a minor biblical character, from Hebrew יְמִימָה (“dove”). By folk etymology also used as a feminine form of James.

Pronunciation

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• IPA(key): /d͡ʒəˈmaɪmə/
• Rhymes: -aɪmə

Proper noun

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Jemima

1. A female given name from Hebrew.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Job 42:13-15:He had also seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch. And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.
   • 1853, Elizabeth Gaskell, chapter XVII, in Ruth:-- and at last Jemima was fixed upon, because it would do either for a Scripture name or for a heroine out of a book.""I did not know Jemima was a Scripture name," said Ruth."Oh yes, it is. One of Job's daughters; Jemima, Kezia, and Keren-Happuch. There are a good many Jemimas in the world, and some Kezias, but I never heard of a Keren-Happuch; and yet we know just as much of one as of another. People really like a pretty name, whether Scripture or out of it."
   • 2005, Zadie Smith, On Beauty, Penguin, published 2006, →ISBN, page 51:But then, thought Kiki, they were brought up that way, these white American boys: I'm the Aunt Jemima on the cookie boxes of their childhoods, the pair of thick ankles Tom and Jerry played around. Of course they find me funny.
   • 2011, Ann Cleeves, Hidden Depths, Pan Macmillan, →ISBN, page 165:a:Fancy southern names which she couldn't remember five minutes after they'd told her. Camilla? Amelia? Jemima? It didn't matter. Ashworth would have made a note of them.

Usage notes

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• Jemima has largely fallen out of use in North America due to the association with advertising character Aunt Jemima, interpreted as a racist stereotype of African-Americans. See Aunt Jemima.

Translations

[edit] female given name

Finnish: Jemina (fi)

Noun

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Jemima (plural Jemimas)

1. An elastic-sided boot.

Anagrams

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• jammie

Faroese

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Proper noun

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Jemima f

1. a female given name

Usage notes

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Matronymics

• Jemima's son: Jemimuson
• Jemima's daughter: Jemimudóttir

Declension

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singular
indefinite
nominative	Jemima
accusative	Jemimu
dative	Jemimu
genitive	Jemimu