Marijuana (etymology)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The English marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish marihuana or mariguana, (1918)[1] which might have in turn derived from the Nahuatl mallihuan meaning prisoner.[2] Traditional association with the personal name María Juana ("Mary Jane") is probably a folk etymology.[3]
The international term is "cannabis," hence its use in global legal instruments such as the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. U.S. laws, such as the Controlled Substances Act, often use the term "marihuana" or "marijuana," and many cannabis reform organizations, such as the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws and the Marijuana Policy Project, also use this term.
[edit] References
- ^ Company, Houghton Mifflin; American Heritage Dictionaries (2007-11-14). Spanish Word Histories and Mysteries. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 0618910549, 9780618910540.
- ^ "marijuana, n." OED Online. July 2009. Oxford University Press. 2009 <http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/00302074>.
- ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, V3.0, 1999, marijuana entry
