English
Goomba
Goomba may come from English goombah ‘friend’.
- English1500–presentgoombah‘friend’uncertain
- EnglishtodayGoomba
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- English1500–presentgoombah‘friend’uncertain
- EnglishtodayGoomba
The story
Likely derived either from goombah (‘friend’), in turn from Neapolitan cumpà, or from Hungarian gomba (‘mushroom, fungus’). . For the voicing of stops compare gabagool.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *peh₂- ‘to protect, to ward’
company, food, pain, feed, pope, foster, apparent, pastor, fur, companion, penetration, papal, fodder, pasture, fad, forage, accompaniment, panini, patrician, fatherly, pav, pannier, pantaloons, 57 more
through Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tḗr ‘father’
through Proto-Italic *patēr ‘father’
through Latin pater ‘father’
pattern, papa, patron, perpetrator, paternal, paternity, padre, pater, patrimony, perpetrate, père, compere, 17 more
Today it means
noun A mushroom-like enemy in the Mario franchise.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / English goombah / Goomba