Plaaza

noun PLAA-za ˈplaːza

Also spelled plaza, plaza

A shopping plaza — a small strip mall of shops, offices, and eateries, a fixture of Jamaican town life. The Patois pronunciation stretches the vowel to 'plaaza'. 'Meet mi a di plaaza' means meet me at the shopping centre; plazas are common gathering and hustling spots.

  • Meet mi a di plaaza afta work.

    Meet me at the shopping plaza after work.

  • Di new plaaza have a supermarket an bank.

    The new plaza has a supermarket and bank.

  • Di vendor set up outside di plaaza.

    The vendor set up outside the plaza.

From 'plaza' (Spanish, a public square/marketplace); in Jamaica a strip-mall shopping plaza.

A shopping plaza/strip mall; common meeting and hustling spot. Compare 'market', 'shop'.