Etymologically
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marijuana

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˌmæɹɪˈwɑː.nə/ (UK); /ˌmɛɹɪˈwɑ.nə/, /ˌmæɹ-/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Spanish mariguana (“Mexican Spanish mariguana, marihuana”),[2][3][4] of obscure or uncertain origin.[4][3][2] Etymonline notes that the plant was not native to Mexico, so a native source for the word seems unlikely.[3] The English spelling marijuana (1918) was probably influenced by the Spanish name María Juana, Mary Jane.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A preparation of hemp smoked as a drug: 1894 as mariguan in the OED and Etymonline;[5][3] MWU dates it to 1874.[4]

Semantic evolution

The restored spelling marihuana is from 1907,[2] and the plant itself is called marijuana from 1907.[5] The spelling marajuana is from 1918.[2][3] Compounds such as marijuana cigarette and marijuana addict are from 1936,[5] and a figurative use from 1948.[5]

Timeline

  • 1874 – first use (MWU).[4]
  • 1894 – mariguan, the drug.[5][3]
  • 1907 – marihuana; the plant.[2][5]
  • 1918 – marajuana.[2][3]
  • 1936 – marijuana cigarette.[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The dried leaves and flowers of the hemp plant, smoked or eaten as a drug; cannabis.
  2. The hemp plant, Cannabis sativa.
  • cannabis
  • hemp
  • hashish
  • Mary Jane

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press