Selma
English
Etymology
Taken to use in the 19th century when similar-sounding names, Elma, Thelma, Alma, Wilma, etc. were in vogue. Perhaps a shortening of Anselma, or from the name of a place in the James Macpherson's Ossian cycle of epic poems, itself from Scottish Gaelic sealladh + math (“good vision”). In some cases perhaps borrowed from Turkish Selma, from Arabic سَلْمَى (salmā).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈsɛlmə/
Proper noun
Selma (countable and uncountable, plural Selmas)
- (countable) A female given name.
- (countable) A surname.
- A placename
- A community in Nova Scotia, Canada.
- A village in Graubünden canton, Switzerland.
- A place in the United States.
- A city, the county seat of Dallas County, Alabama; named for James Macpherson's Ossianic poem The Songs of Selma.
- A city in Fresno County, California; named for early resident Selma Michelson.
- A city in Texas.
- A town in North Carolina; named for the city in Alabama.
- A town in Indiana.
- A census-designated place in Josephine County, Oregon.
- A census-designated place in Virginia.
- An unincorporatedcommunity in Arkansas.
- An unincorporatedcommunity in Iowa.
- An unincorporatedcommunity in Kansas.
- An unincorporatedcommunity in Missouri; named for the place in the Ossian cycle.
- An unincorporatedcommunity in Ohio.
Translations
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Noun
Selma (plural Selmas)
- (US, politics, figuratively) A confrontation where authorities brutally repress those wanting civil rights, similar to Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama.
- 2020, Dane Smith, Star Tribune (Minneapolis), "Toward a better patriotism", 3 July 2020
- Eventually, our place and response may be viewed as a historic turning point, another Selma for the nation and world.
- 2015, Minnie Bruce Pratt, Workers World, "Black and Brown unity in Alabama", 24 June 2015
- Shelby County has become the new Selma.
- 1986, Daily Sitka Sentinel, Sitka Weekend, p.11, Friday 17 January 1986
- "I don't know how many Selmas you have in your memory," she said. "I have a lot in mine."
- 1965, The Fresno Bee, p.60, Wednesday 21 July 1965
- How Many Selmas? Still another city in the south Is learning the hard way that the Negro will settle for nothing less than first class citizenship.
- 2020, Dane Smith, Star Tribune (Minneapolis), "Toward a better patriotism", 3 July 2020
Coordinate terms
- Bloody Sunday
Anagrams
- EMALS, Lemas, MELAS, Males, Salem, Smale, Smeal, almes, amels, lames, lamés, leams, males, meals, melas, mesal, semla
Cebuano
Etymology
Possibly from Arabic سَلْمَى (salmā).
Proper noun
Selma
- a surname
Danish
Proper noun
Selma
- a female given name, equivalent to English Selma
Estonian
Proper noun
Selma
- a female given name, equivalent to English Selma
Faroese
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈsɛlma/
- Rhymes: -ɛlma
Proper noun
Selma f
- a female given name
Usage notes
Matronymics
- son of Selma: Selmuson
- daughter of Selma: Selmudóttir
Declension
Singular | |
Indefinite | |
Nominative | Selma |
Accusative | Selmu |
Dative | Selmu |
Genitive | Selmu |
Finnish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈselmɑ/, [ˈs̠e̞lmɑ]
- Rhymes: -elmɑ
- Syllabification(key): Sel‧ma
Proper noun
Selma
- a female given name, equivalent to English Selma
Declension
Inflection of Selma (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation) | |||
---|---|---|---|
nominative | Selma | Selmat | |
genitive | Selman | Selmojen | |
partitive | Selmaa | Selmoja | |
illative | Selmaan | Selmoihin | |
singular | plural | ||
nominative | Selma | Selmat | |
accusative | nom. | Selma | Selmat |
gen. | Selman | ||
genitive | Selman | Selmojen Selmainrare | |
partitive | Selmaa | Selmoja | |
inessive | Selmassa | Selmoissa | |
elative | Selmasta | Selmoista | |
illative | Selmaan | Selmoihin | |
adessive | Selmalla | Selmoilla | |
ablative | Selmalta | Selmoilta | |
allative | Selmalle | Selmoille | |
essive | Selmana | Selmoina | |
translative | Selmaksi | Selmoiksi | |
instructive | — | Selmoin | |
abessive | Selmatta | Selmoitta | |
comitative | — | Selmoineen |
Possessive forms of Selma (type kala) | ||
---|---|---|
possessor | singular | plural |
1st person | Selmani | Selmamme |
2nd person | Selmasi | Selmanne |
3rd person | Selmansa |
Anagrams
- Salme
Icelandic
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈsɛlma/
- Rhymes: -ɛlma
Proper noun
Selma f
- a female given name
Declension
f-w1 | singular | |
---|---|---|
indefinite | ||
nominative | Selma | |
accusative | Selmu | |
dative | Selmu | |
genitive | Selmu |
Norwegian
Proper noun
Selma
- a female given name, equivalent to English Selma
Portuguese
Pronunciation
- (Brazil) IPA(key): /ˈsɛw.mɐ/ [ˈsɛʊ̯.mɐ]
- (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /ˈsɛw.ma/ [ˈsɛʊ̯.ma]
- (Portugal) IPA(key): /ˈsɛl.mɐ/ [ˈsɛɫ.mɐ]
Proper noun
Selma f
- a female given name, equivalent to English Selma
Serbo-Croatian
Etymology
From Ottoman Turkish سلمى (selma) (Turkish Selma), from Arabic سَلْمَى (salmā).
Proper noun
Selma f (Cyrillic spelling Селма)
- a female given name
Swedish
Proper noun
Selma c (genitive Selmas)
- a female given name, equivalent to English Selma
Anagrams
- males, samle, semla, smale
Tagalog
Etymology
Borrowed from English, from various similar-sounding female given names.
Pronunciation
- Hyphenation: Sel‧ma
Proper noun
Selma
- a female given name from English
Turkish
Etymology
From Arabic سَلْمَى (salmā).
Proper noun
Selma
- a female given name from Arabic