From the Spanish, paloma translates to
dove or
pigeon. Paloma can be a first name, as in the case of
Pablo Picasso's daughter, or a last name. I have also seen it used as a name for a horse.
There is a Paloma, Illinois, USA (Zip 62359) and a Paloma Valley in California, USA.
Paloma was also the first named cultivar of Indian ricegrass, (Achnatherum Hymenoides). Its seeds are large and black. Eaten by both livestock and wildlife, paloma also serves to stabilize the soil and revegetate damaged land. Both drought tolerant and long-lived, it is climatically best suited to the southwest USA. It regrows well, and recovers quickly in the spring. Along with Nazpar, Paloma is sold commercially. Where Nazpar grows best at altitudes exceeding 2000m, Paloma grows better at altitudes under 2000m. It was first collected for breeding in 1957 in Pueblo, Colorado, USA.
Paloma is also a modern constellation in the Equatorial south, with the Alpha luminary, Phact.
It is known in English as Dove, and coded universally as Col, from the Latin Columba.
In Scottish it is an Calman, in Irish it is an Colm, in Slovak it is Holubica, in Czech it is Holubice, in Slovenian it is Golob, in Dutch it is Duif, in Hungarian it is Galamo, in Jordanian it is Al-Hamamah, in Japanese it is Hato, in both Norwegian and Danish it is Duen, in Icelandic it is Dúfan, in Swedish it is Duvan, in Finnish it is Kyyhkynen, in Portuguese it is Pomba, in German it is Taube, in Latvian it is Balodis, in Catalan it is Colom, in Indian it is Parvat, in Iranian it is Kaboutar, in Esperanto it is Kolombo, in Polish it is Golab, and in French it is Colombe.
In Belize, Paloma is said when a boy wants to cut into a dance already underway between a couple. This could be repeated by another boy within the same dance, so as to compete for the place with the girl.
Paloma is also a Slovenian company, which began to produce paper in Sladki Vrh, in 1873. Under the name Paloma Sladkogorska, it owns the brands Paloma, Paloma Natura, Paloma Exclusive, Paloma Krep, and Carlina. The company continues to make paper, and specializes in hygienic paper products such as napkins, toilet paper, and paper towels. Their television marketing, with the slogan "The World Without Us", features people wiping their mouths on their sleeves and ties, and blowing their noses with their shirttails; it finishes with a shot of a woman entering a bathroom.
There is also an electro-pop musician by the name Laurent Vassière who uses Paloma as an alias. He plays acoustic guitar with a mix of synth. Paloma has produced one album Take Care of Me, released on Madrid's Acuarela label.
Una Paloma Blanca is a number one song written in 1975 by Dutch musician George Baker.
La Paloma is also a famous Cuban ballad written in 1884 by Sebastian Yradier:
Cuando salí de la Habana, válgame Dios
Nadie me ha visto salir
Sinó fui yo,
Y una linda Guachinanga, allá voy yo
Que se vino tras de mi, que sí señor.
Si a tu ventana llega una paloma
Trátala com cariño, que es mi persona
Cuéntale tus amores, bien de mi vida
Corónala de flores que es cosa mía.
Ay! chinita que sí,
Ay! que dame tu amor
Ay! que vente comigo chinita
a donde vivo yo
Ay! chinita que sí
Ay! que dame tu amor
Ay! que vente comigo chinita
a donde vivo yo.
El día que nos casemos, válgame Dios!
En la semana que hay ir me hace reir
Desde la iglesia juntitos, que si señor
Nos iremos a dormir, Allá voy yo.