Pima

[pee-muh]

noun

plural

Pimas ,

plural

Pima .

1. a member of an Indigenous people of southern Arizona and northern Mexico.

2. the Uto-Aztecan language of the Pima, closely related to Tohono O'odham.

adjective

1. of or relating to the Pima or their language.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Pima¹

First recorded in 1810–15; from Spanish (Mexico, southwestern United States), earlier Pimahitos, from 16th-century Pima (Spanish spelling) pimahaitu “nothing”

Example Sentences

She served as a member of the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board for 20 years, then as a member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors for District 5 from 2021 to 2025.

From Salon

Adelita Grijalva, 54, has leaned on her experience in the district, serving for 20 years on the Tucson Unified School District board and, since 2021, on the Pima County Board of Supervisors.

From Salon

Since 2000, at least 3,977 undocumented migrants have died attempting to cross the southern Arizona desert, according to the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner.

From Los Angeles Times

“People just weren’t crossing from Mexico through Arizona until it became more difficult to cross in major populated areas,” Dr. Greg Hess, Chief Medical Officer for Pima County, Arizona, explains.

From Salon

As the conservation science manager in Pima County at the Conservation Lands and Resources department, Ian Murray regularly interacts with the Santa Cruz.

From Salon