Word
cameroon
Phoneticscameroon
/ˈkæmɝˌun/
Definitions
01the country
n. a country in Central Africa.
n. a nation in Central Africa, officially the Republic of Cameroon, with Yaoundé as its capital.
“Many people in Cameroon speak both French and English.”
“The geographical diversity of Cameroon, ranging from tropical rainforests to arid savannas, has earned it the nickname 'Africa in miniature'.”
02British politics
n. a member of the British Conservative Party who supported the ideas of former leader David Cameron.
n. a supporter of the political style or centrist policies associated with David Cameron during his leadership of the British Conservative Party.
“The journalist interviewed a young Cameroon about the party's new environmental policy.”
“Internal party debates often highlighted the tension between traditionalist factions and the modernising Cameroons who prioritised social liberalism.”
British English · Informal
Teaching tip
This is a niche political term; learners are unlikely to encounter it outside of British political commentary from the 2010s.
03sheep breed
n. a type of small sheep from West Africa that has hair instead of wool.
n. a hair sheep breed originating in West Africa, known for its hardiness and lack of wool.
“The farmer kept a small flock of Cameroon sheep because they are easy to care for.”
“Unlike most European breeds, the Cameroon sheep is a hair breed that does not require shearing, making it popular for small-scale hobby farming.”
Technical
Etymology
Borrowed from French Cameroun, from Portuguese Rio dos Camarões (“river of prawns”), a name given to the Wouri river estuary, in 1472 by the sailors of the Portuguese explorer Fernão do Pó (a.k.a. Fernando Pó), raving about the abundance of shrimps of the species Lepidophthalmus turneranus (the Cameroon ghost shrimp) in the river; camarão itself is from Latin cammarus (“lobster”), from Ancient Greek κάμμαρος (kámmaros, “a kind of lobster or shrimp”).
Alteration of Cameron, influenced by -oon.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/cameroon