Beach-la-Mar

[ beech-luh-mahr ]

noun

1. Neo-Melanesian.

Beach-la-Mar

/ ˌbiːtʃləˈmɑː /

noun

1. an English-based creole language spoken in Vanuatu and Fiji, and formerly much more widespread Also calledBiche-la-mar

Word History and Origins

Origin of Beach-la-Mar¹

Alteration of bêche-de-mer a well-known trade item in the region where this type of pidgin is spoken

Word History and Origins

Origin of Beach-la-Mar¹

C19: quasi-French, from bêche-de-mer (trepang, this being a major trading commodity in the SW Pacific; hence the name was applied to the trading language)

Example Sentences

Of course it's an old story now, going back to the days before the bottom had dropped out of copra, and there was still money to be made in beach-la-mar and fungus.

From Project Gutenberg