kumara

Etymology

Borrowed from Maori kūmara.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkuːməɹə/
  • (New Zealand) IPA^(key): [ˈkʰʉːm(ə)ɹʷɐ], (prescribed) IPA^(key): [ˈkʰʉːmɐɾɐ]

Noun

kumara (plural kumaras or kumara)

1. (New Zealand) A sweet potato.
   • 1971, Gwen White, Antique Toys And Their Background, page 98:

     In 1350 five canoes reached New Zealand manned by Maori voyagers carrying the dog on purpose and the rat by mistake. They introduced the gourd, taro and kumara from the Polynesian Islands to the New Zealanders.

Anagrams

• karamu

Noun

kumara

1. allative singular of kuma

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *kumara.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkumɑrɑ/, [ˈkumɑ̝rɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -umɑrɑ
• Hyphenation^(key): ku‧ma‧ra

Adjective

kumara (comparative kumarampi, superlative kumarin)

1. hunch (bent, bowed posture)

   olla kumarassa ― to hunch

Further reading

• “kumara”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

Etymology

Ultimately from Latin cucumis, cucumeris. Compare Serbo-Croatian kukumar.

Noun

kumara f

1. Any member of the Cucumis genus of plants, including cucumber.

Further reading

• “kumara”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU (in Slovene), 2014–2025