Kama

See also: Appendix:Variations of "kama"

English

a bridge over Kama in Perm

Etymology 1

From Russian Ка́ма (Káma).

Proper noun

Kama

1. A major river in Russia, the longest left tributary of the Volga.
   • 1979 August 20, “Editorial: Limiting System Exports”, in Computerworld, page 14:

     It was led by Sen. Henry Javkson (D-Wash.), who referred at some length to an IBM computer and assorted other technology we have sold the Russians for use in their vast Kama River truck plant.

   • 1986, Soviet Geography, volume 27, page 125:

     According to Ponomarev's calculations, the Kama in the 1890s annually supplied the Volga with up to 850000 logs, of which about 250000 came from the Chusovaya, about 250000 from the Vyatka and its tributaries, 150000 from the Belaya, […] .

   • 1995, Sergeĭ Mikhaĭlovich Solovʹev, History of Russia, page 33:

     He was ordered to seek out the rebels along the Kama and the Viatka.

Translations

river

• Armenian: Կամա (hy) (Kama)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 卡馬河／卡马河 (zh) (Kǎmǎhé)

• Danish: Kama
• Eastern Mari: Чолман (Čolman)
• French: Kama (fr) f
• German: Kama (de) f
• Hungarian: Káma (hu)
• Japanese: カマ川 (Kama-kawa)
• Russian: Ка́ма (ru) f (Káma)
• Tatar: Чулман (Çulman)

Etymology 2

From Sanskrit काम (kā́ma, “love”).

Proper noun

Kama

1. (religion, Hinduism) The Hindu god of love, Kamadeva

   Synonym: Kamadeva

   • 1956, Heinrich Robert Zimmer, Philosophies of India, page 145:

     Fundamentally, the doctrine and technique of Kāma go back to primitive antiquity.

   • 1969, Allie M. Frazier, Readings in Eastern Religious Thought: Hinduism, page 35:

     In Indian mythology, Kāma is the counterpart of Cupid.

   • 2001, Jagdish Lal Shastri, Arnold Kunst, G. P. Bhatt, Ancient Indian Tradition & Mythology, volume 63, page 429:

     On seeing Kāma annihilated there, the Devas and the groups of celestial damsels became frightened.

   • 2006, Catherine Benton, God of Desire: Tales of Kamadeva in Sanskrit Story Literature, page 52:

     However, when Śiva saw the proud Kāma getting ready to let another arrow fly, he got angry.

Related terms

• Kamasutra

Etymology 3

Various origins:

• Borrowed from Hindi काम (kām), a typical surname of Andhra Pradesh.
• Borrowed from Polish Kama, a surname of unexplained origin.
• Borrowed from Turkish Kama, a metonymic occupational surname from kama (“wedge”).

Proper noun

Kama (plural Kamas)

1. A surname.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Kama is the 40432^nd most common surname in the United States, belonging to 541 individuals. Kama is most common among Asian/Pacific Islander (37.89%), Mixed Race (25.69%) and White (22.18%) individuals.

Further reading

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Kama”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 2, New York City: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 269.

Anagrams

• Maka, maka

Estonian

Proper noun

Kama (genitive [please provide], partitive [please provide])

1. a surname

French

Proper noun

Kama f

1. Kama River

Hawaiian

Etymology

kama (“child, person”). Often a short form of compound names containing this word.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈka.ma/, [ˈkɐ.mə]

Proper noun

Kama

1. a male given name from Hawaiian, sometimes also given to women
2. a surname

Related terms

• Kamalālāwalu
• Kamalani
• Kamalei
• Kamapuaʻa

References

• Mary Kawena Pukui - Samuel H. Elbert, Hawaiian Dictionary, University of Hawaii Press 1986
• Hawaii State Archives: Marriage records Kama occurs in 19th century marriage records as the only name (mononym) of 24 women and 37 men.