The appellation Mumbai is an eponym, etymologically derived from Mumba - the name of the Hindu goddess Mumbadevi, and Aai - mother in Marathi. In the 16th century, the Portuguese named the area Bom Bahia (Good Bay), later corrupted to Bomaím or Bombaim, by which it is still known in Portuguese.
After the British gained possession, it was anglicised to Bombay. The name was officially changed to Mumbai in 1995, but Bombay is still used by the popular media and by many of the city's inhabitants and famous institutions.
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