origin of word pommey?

Question

as in brit in austrailia

Answer 1

When the Brits get sunburnt, it's supposed to look like a ripe pomegranate...

Some people think it might be from an anacronym 'Prisoner Of Her Majesty'... but that would be Pohm anyway, and it's what the Brits would be calling the Ozzies, considering the countries history...

I was wondering whether there could be a connection with pomanders, you know, the little perfumed balls that used to be held up to one's nose when things smell bad, but I don't think there's any connection at all...

Answer 2

Pommy
The term Pommy for a British person is commonly used in Australian English, New Zealand English and South African English and Afrikaans Speakers, and is often shortened to Pom. The origin of this term is not confirmed and there are several persistent false etymologies.

One theory is that, as the majority of early immigrants to Australia were British, it is rhyming slang for "immigrant" from a contraction of the word "pomegranate", or possibly more directly related to the appearance of the fruit, as it bears a more than passing resemblance to the typical pale complexioned Briton's skin after his or her first few days living under the hot Australian sun.

Another theory is that POM is a shortened acronym of Prisoner of His/Her Majesty (POHM). As many of Australia's first settlers were convicts, sentenced to transportation, this theory holds that upon arrival in the country they would be given a uniform with POHM emblazoned on the back, and that convicts with an extended stay on Australian soil would no longer have to wear the shirt and would often refer to newer entrants into the country as "Pohmmys". Other suggestions hold that POM is a different acronym, such as "Prisoner of Mother England" or "Port of Melbourne". These etymologies are believed to be false, as the term "pommy" was coined long before acronyms were used in common parlance. Moreover, there is no record of prisoners in Australia ever wearing such uniforms.

The use of the word 'Pom' is contentious. Some British people living in Australasia find the term offensive and demeaning, others find it harmless and amusing. Attitudes to the use of the word have varied over the years, from the 1960s when slogans such as 'bash a pom a day' were heard on New Zealand radio, to today, when the word has become so entrenched that few Australians and New Zealanders see any reason to avoid using the word, some even justifying the use of the word as being 'endearing'. On September 27, 2006, the Australian cricketing authority Cricket Australia ruled that it was OK for cricket fans to refer to the English as 'Poms' after a wide-ranging review on potentially racist terms.

Answer 3

Pommy
The term Pommy for a British person is commonly used in Australian English, New Zealand English and South African English and Afrikaans Speakers, and is often shortened to Pom. The origin of this term is not confirmed and there are several persistent false etymologies.

One theory is that, as the majority of early immigrants to Australia were British, it is rhyming slang for "immigrant" from a contraction of the word "pomegranate", or possibly more directly related to the appearance of the fruit, as it bears a more than passing resemblance to the typical pale complexioned Briton's skin after his or her first few days living under the hot Australian sun.

Another theory is that POM is a shortened acronym of Prisoner of His/Her Majesty (POHM). As many of Australia's first settlers were convicts, sentenced to transportation, this theory holds that upon arrival in the country they would be given a uniform with POHM emblazoned on the back, and that convicts with an extended stay on Australian soil would no longer have to wear the shirt and would often refer to newer entrants into the country as "Pohmmys". Other suggestions hold that POM is a different acronym, such as "Prisoner of Mother England" or "Port of Melbourne". These etymologies are believed to be false, as the term "pommy" was coined long before acronyms were used in common parlance. Moreover, there is no record of prisoners in Australia ever wearing such uniforms.

The use of the word 'Pom' is contentious. Some British people living in Australasia find the term offensive and demeaning, others find it harmless and amusing. Attitudes to the use of the word have varied over the years, from the 1960s when slogans such as 'bash a pom a day' were heard on New Zealand radio, to today, when the word has become so entrenched that few Australians and New Zealanders see any reason to avoid using the word, some even justifying the use of the word as being 'endearing'. On September 27, 2006, the Australian cricketing authority Cricket Australia ruled that it was OK for cricket fans to refer to the English as 'Poms' after a wide-ranging review on potentially racist terms.

Answer 4

One thing that is certain is that it is not an acronym. there are many words that have been claimed to be acronyms but are most assuredly not. Acronyms became populat during the second World war. There were a few before that but treat all of them with suspicion unless you know for certain.

The most likely origin for "pommy" is a contraction of "pomegranate" in rhyming slang - immigrant/pomegrant. Wilkes refers to this origin in a quotation from The Anzac Book or 1916. In 1920, H J Rumsey wrote in "The Pommies or New Chums of Australia"
'Few people seem to know the origin of the word but I can well remember its introduction in the early seventies... Thousands of immigrants were arriving by the old clipper ships, and the colonial boys and girls, like all schoolchildren, ready to find a nickname, were fond of rhyming "immigrant", "Jimmygrant", "Pommegrant" and called it after the new chum children. The name stuck and became abbreviated to 'pommy' later on."

Answer 5

In Australia and New Zealand a British person, esp. one who is a recent immigrant.

Also, pommie, pom.

[Origin: 1910–15; orig. obscure; corroborating evidence for any of the numerous fanciful etymologies proposed for the word is so far lacking]

Answer 6

It derives from the word POME which actually meant Prisoners of Mother England
Another theory is the word POHM - Prisoners of Her/His Majesty

Answer 7

Think its something to do with fruit on the boats. Similar to limeys