Maricopa

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A Native American people of south-central Arizona who speak a Yuman language ; a large Arizona county that includes the city of Phoenix ; a small city in Pinal County, Arizona
2. An indigenous group of the Gila River region who speak a Yuman language ; a populous Arizona county centered on Phoenix ; a city in Pinal County in the state of Arizona
3. A Yuman-speaking Native American nation living in central Arizona ; a county in the state of Arizona home to Phoenix ; a town in Pinal County that bears the name of that nation

Etymology: Maricopa is the name of a Native American people of central Arizona, and the place name Maricopa County, Arizona, and the city of Maricopa, Arizona, come from them. The name reached English by way of Spanish, where it was borrowed to refer to the group. Its ultimate source is not known for certain. Some scholars have tied it to the Yuman language family spoken by the people's neighbors, but the evidence is not conclusive, and the name remains of uncertain origin.