Mid 18th century; earliest use found in Wimble's List of Snuffs. From Macouba, the name of a tobacco-growing district in northern Martinique. In the 18th cent. the a of the third syllable was identified (as often in loanwords) with English aw/ɔː/; the -oy/ɔɪ/ of the some forms appears to have developed from this.