Jemima

English

Etymology

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

Proper noun

Jemima

1. A female given name from Hebrew.
   • Template:RQ:Authorized Version:

     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, Ruth, Chapter XVII:

     -- 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 (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.

Usage notes

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

Translations

female given name

• Finnish: Jemina (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Noun

Jemima (plural Jemimas)

1. An elastic-sided boot.

Anagrams

• jammie

---

Faroese

Proper noun

Jemima f

1. a female given name

Usage notes

Matronymics

• son of Jemima: Jemimuson
• daughter of Jemima: Jemimudóttir

Declension

	Singular
	Indefinite
Nominative	Jemima
Accusative	Jemimu
Dative	Jemimu
Genitive	Jemimu