nounWord forms: plural amas or amaa Japanese diver, usually a woman, who tends underwater oyster beds used in the cultivation of pearls
Word origin
[1945–50; ‹ Japn, of uncert. orig.
]This word is first recorded in the period 1945–50. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: ergative, fail-safe, individual medley, on-line, synchronized swimming