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ama

1 American  
[ah-mah] / ˈɑ mɑ /

noun

plural

amas, ama
  1. a Japanese diver, usually a woman, who tends underwater oyster beds used in the cultivation of pearls.


-ama 2 American  
  1. variant of -orama, occurring as the final element in compounds when the first element is a disyllable ending in - r, used so that the entire word maintains the same number of syllables as panorama .

    rollerama; Futurama.


A.M.A. 3 American  

abbreviation

  1. American Management Association.

  2. American Medical Association.

  3. American Motorcycle Association.


AMA British  

abbreviation

  1. American Medical Association

  2. Australian Medical Association

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of ama

From Japanese, dating back to 1945–50, of uncertain origin