Hyphenation
jum·buckPronunciation
Etymology
() Sidney J. Baker, The Australian Language, second edition, 1966 notes two possible origins for the word. Firstly A. Meston of Brisbane in 1896 cites Aboriginal words jimba, jombock, dombock and dumbog all meaning white mist preceding a shower, which a flock of sheep resembles. Secondly Charles Harpur in a hand written footnote in his papers cites Aboriginal word junbuc (or jimbuc, his handwriting is unclear) which is a kind of kangaroo or wallaby, and states that the aborigines of the Hunter region call the sheep that for the hairiness of one and the wooliness of the other. Rolf Harris points to another Aboriginal word, jombok, meaning a sort of fluffy white cloud that sheep closely resemble.