jumbo
oxford
views updated May 18 2018jum·bo / ˈjəmbō/ inf. • n. (pl. -bos) a very large person or thing. ∎ (also jum·bo jet) a very large airliner (originally and specifically a Boeing 747).• adj. very large: a jumbo pad.
The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English
jumbo
oxford
views updated May 14 2018jumbo big clumsy person, animal, etc. XIX. prob. the second element of
MUMBO-JUMBO.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD
Jumbo
oxford
views updated May 23 2018Jumbo name of an elephant at London Zoo, sold in 1882 to the Barnum and Bailey circus; the word had originally denoted a large and clumsy person.
The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES
