Central American nation; the name is used of a political jurisdiction by 1530s in Spanish, probably from an unknown Guarani word, traditionally said to mean "place of many fish." Originally the name of the settlement founded 1519 (destroyed 1671 but subsequently rebuilt). Related: Panamanian. Panama hat, made from the leaves of the screw pine, is attested from 1833, a misnomer, because it originally was made in Ecuador, but perhaps so called in American English because it was distributed north from Panama City. Panama red as a variety of Central American marijuana is attested from 1967.

South American republic, founded 1825, named for Simon Bolivar (1783-1830), statesman and soldier.

native American people formerly of Mississippi and Alabama, 1670s, from Chickasaw Chikasha, the people's name for themselves. Also their (Muskogean) language.

1947, awards given by American Theatre Wing (New York), from nickname of U.S. actress, manager, and producer Antoinette Perry (1888-1946).

1972, rough acronym from American Sign Language, which was known by that name since 1960, but its history goes back to 1817, evolving from French Sign Language (introduced at American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Conn.) and indigenous sign languages, especially that of Martha's Vineyard. [See "Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language," Nora Ellen Groce, Harvard University Press, 1985]

biblical name (II Samuel viii.16), used as a mild expletive in American English from 1857; presumably another euphemistic substitution for Jesus.

Native American people of Yuman stock living along the Colorado River, also Mohave, 1831, from native (Yuman) name, hamakhaav, perhaps containing aha "water."

"of or pertaining to the Caribs," also "of the sea between the West Indies and the South American mainland," by 1750s, from Carib, indigenous people's name for themselves, + -ean.

Native American leader (1768-1813), his name is Shawnee (Algonquian), perhaps literally "flies across;" compare Menominee /takhamehse:w/ "flies straight across."

in reference to a family or group of North American native peoples, 1761, from North American French, short for Nadouessioux, sometimes said to be from Ojibway (Algonquian) Natowessiwak (plural), literally "little snakes," from nadowe "Iroquois" ("(big) snakes"). Another explanation traces it to early Ottawa (Algonquian) singular /na:towe:ssi/ (plural /na:towe:ssiwak/) "Sioux," apparently from a verb meaning "to speak a foreign language" [Bright]. In either case, a name given by their neighbors; the people's name for themselves is Dakota.