English Reference

Word

tamara

Phoneticstama·ra

/təˈmɑɹə/

Definition

n. a type of traditional Japanese floor mat made of woven straw. It is used in homes and for martial arts like judo.

n. a traditional Japanese floor covering constructed from a core of rice straw and a surface of woven soft rush. Often used as a unit of measurement for room size in Japanese architecture.

Usage

Uncountable when referring to the material or flooring style; countable when referring to individual mats.

Etymology

Of Slavic origin, mainly from Russian Тама́ра (Tamára), name of a 12th-century saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church, cognate with English biblical Tamar, from Hebrew תמר (tāmār, “date palm”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
C2 · Proficiency
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

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English Reference