Loma

Loma is a term with several distinct meanings in geography, anthropology, and linguistics. The most common toponymic use derives from the Spanish word loma, meaning a hill or ridge. As a place-name element, it appears in various Spanish-speaking regions to denote elevated features or settlements. A well-known geographic instance is Loma Prieta, a peak in the Santa Cruz Mountains; the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake took its name from that peak.

In West Africa, Loma refers to an ethnic group and their language. The Loma people speak the Loma language, a Mande language of the Niger-Congo family, and they are primarily found in Sierra Leone and Guinea, with diaspora communities in neighboring areas. The language has several dialects and is studied within the broader context of Mande linguistics.

As a surname or given name, Loma appears in various cultures, often deriving from place-names or local languages. The term thus spans multiple, largely unrelated uses: a geographic toponym linked to hills, an African ethnic group and its language, and personal naming.

Overall, Loma illustrates how a single word can acquire diverse meanings across regions and disciplines, ranging from landscape features and place names to ethnic identity and linguistic classification.