/sic/,
«A fabric like merino, ofworsted and cotton. So named from Paramatta, a townnear Sydney, New South Wales.» (Skeat, `EtymologicalDictionary,' s.v.) According to some, the place named Parramatta means, in the local Aboriginal dialect, «eelsabound,» or «plenty of eels.» Others rather put it that para = fish, and matta= water. There is a riverin Queensland called the Paroo, which means «fish-river.»
NOTE. – – The town Parramatta, though formerly often spelt withone r, is now always spelt with two.
1846. C. P. Hodgson, `Reminiscences of Australia,' p. 367:
«A peculiar tweed, made in the colony, and chiefly at Paramatta,hence the name.»
1883. J. Hector, `Handbook of New Zealand, p. 19:
«Paramattas, fine cloths originally made from the Paramattawool, with silk warps, though now woollen.»