Library / English Dictionary

MAYA

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A family of American Indian languages spoken by Mayas

Synonyms:

Maya; Mayan; Mayan language

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("Maya" is a kind of...):

American-Indian language; American Indian; Amerind; Amerindian language; Indian (any of the languages spoken by Amerindians)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "Maya"):

Kekchi (a Mayan language spoken by the Kekchi)

Mam (a Mayan language spoken by the Mam)

Yucatec; Yucateco (a Mayan language spoken by the Yucatec)

Quiche (the Mayan language spoken by the Quiche)

Cakchiquel (the Mayan language spoken by the Cakchiquel)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An ethnic minority speaking Mayan languages and living in Yucatan and adjacent areas

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Hypernyms ("Maya" is a kind of...):

ethnic minority (a group that has different national or cultural traditions from the majority of the population)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A member of an American Indian people of Yucatan and Belize and Guatemala who had a culture (which reached its peak between AD 300 and 900) characterized by outstanding architecture and pottery and astronomy

Example:

Mayans had a system of writing and an accurate calendar

Synonyms:

Maya; Mayan

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("Maya" is a kind of...):

Amerindian; Native American (any member of the peoples living in North or South America before the Europeans arrived)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "Maya"):

Cakchiquel (a member of the Mayan people living in south central Guatemala)

Kekchi (a member of a Mayan people of north central Guatemala)

Mam (a member of a Mayan people of southwestern Guatemala)

Quiche (a member of the Mayan people of south central Guatemala)

Yucatec; Yucateco (a member of the Mayan people of the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico)

Holonyms ("Maya" is a member of...):

federation of tribes; tribe (a federation (as of American Indians))

Credits

 Context examples: 

Researchers from the University of Cambridge and the University of Florida developed a method to measure the different isotopes of water trapped in gypsum, a mineral that forms during times of drought when the water level is lowered, in Lake Chichancanab in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula where the Maya were based.

(Scientists measure severity of drought during the Maya collapse, University of Cambridge)

Based on these measurements, the researchers found that annual precipitation decreased between 41% and 54% relative to today during the period of the Maya civilisation’s collapse, with periods of up to 70% rainfall reduction during peak drought conditions, and that relative humidity declined by 2% to 7% relative to today.

(Scientists measure severity of drought during the Maya collapse, University of Cambridge)

The severity of drought conditions during the demise of the Maya civilisation about one thousand years ago has been quantified, representing another piece of evidence that could be used to solve the longstanding mystery of what caused the downfall of one of the ancient world’s great civilisations.

(Scientists measure severity of drought during the Maya collapse, University of Cambridge)