bama

or 'bam·a

[ bam-uh ]

noun

1. (sometimes initial capital letter) a person from Alabama or the southern U.S.:

   I’m proud to be a bama.

2. an unsophisticated, unfashionable, or ignorant person; a hick:

   All these bamas don’t know a thing.

adjective

1. (sometimes initial capital letter) of or relating to Alabama or the southern U.S.: a celebration of bama blackness.

   spicy ‘bama flavors;

   a celebration of bama blackness.

2. of or characteristic of a hick; unsophisticated, unfashionable, or ignorant:

   Those boots are so bama.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bama¹

Shortening of Alabama

Example Sentences

“Bama was ahead of the curve for years, I thought, with how they scheduled in the nonconference,” he explained, adding, “...They didn’t schedule for their fans — they scheduled to win championships. My hope is we can do the best thing, schedule to win championships and that includes a rivalry game for all that comes with that and all that it means. But if you get in those positions you gotta make a decision on what the priority is. It’s not an easy answer.”

From Los Angeles Times

Behind some dark sunglasses, he turned zen considering what it meant that Bama came up short.

From Los Angeles Times

In fact, Bama fans told me at halftime they were confident they’d win the ballgame even if their team started slow, wasn’t leading in yardage and forgot how to convert on third down.

From Los Angeles Times

What else did Bama do besides win during the winter’s coldest moments despite the collective groans coming from everywhere except the Southeast.

From Los Angeles Times

Let them Bama boys tell it, they just didn’t live up to the standard tonight.

From Los Angeles Times

About This Word

What else does bama mean?

Bama, a clipped form of Alabama, is a nickname of the University of Alabama, the state, and the people who live there. Bama also popularly refers to the university’s successful SEC (Southeastern Conference) football program.

The term bama can also be used as slang for someone who is unstylish, unsophisticated, or uncool.

Where does bama come from?

Bama has been a shortening of Alabama since at least 1914, when W.C. Handy used it in his lyrics to “Yellow Dog Blues.”

Around this time, bama was also a term used by the African-American community to mean a poor, rural, often white person. And, that meaning is still around … the noun, a bama, has been African-American slang for an unhip, unstylish bumpkin since the 1970s.

In the 20th century, the University of Alabama began to officially adopt the abbreviation. For instance, in 1989, the University of Alabama Board of Trustees registered a patent to use the word Bama on merchandise. And in 2009, the university rebranded its new student orientation as “Bama Bound” and its online student portal “myBama.”

The widespread use of Bama to refer to the university’s athletic program is probably due to the sustained success of the football team. With two Heisman trophies and the most bowl games and National Championships of any team, the Alabama Crimson Tide has earned the university enough public relevancy to allow most to know Bama means the university.

How is bama used in real life?

The connotation carried by the term Bama typically depends on who uses it.

Southerners, particularly those who grew up near colleges in the Southeastern Conference, automatically associate Bama with the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team. The “#bama” hashtag on Twitter, for instance, is entirely devoted to sharing news, photos, videos, and speculation about the team. In such cases, Bama is used with pride by its fans and with contempt by other football commentators and fans of rival teams.

LSU fans are big mad at Bama for a targeting call that happened against Mississippi State and lololol what? We live in their tin foil hat covered heads, Alabama Nation 🤣🤣🤣

— The Alabama Nation (@AlabamaNati0n) October 22, 2018

Did you know: Drew Brees has now beaten every NFL team but he has never beaten Bama.

— Jeff Asher (@Crimealytics) October 21, 2018

This usage with regard to the football team is also applicable more generally to the state—residents see Bama as a term of endearment, while outsiders, particularly Northerners, use it as a form of ridicule.

The slang usage of bama can be used by anyone referring to someone who is blatantly unstylish or unsophisticated. Typically, it is used to describe someone based on their attire.

Note

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.