English words of African origin

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Most words of African origin used in English are nouns describing animals, plants, or cultural practices that have their origins in Africa (mostly sub-Saharan African; Arabic words not included unless another African language is an intermediary). The following list includes some examples.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bantu languages</span> Large language family spoken in Sub-Saharan Africa

The Bantu languages are a language family of about 600 languages that are spoken by the Bantu peoples of Central, Southern, Eastern and Southeast Africa. They form the largest branch of the Southern Bantoid languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Languages of Africa</span>

The number of languages natively spoken in Africa is variously estimated at between 1,250 and 2,100, and by some counts at over 3,000. Nigeria alone has over 500 languages, one of the greatest concentrations of linguistic diversity in the world. The languages of Africa belong to many distinct language families, among which the largest are:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zulu language</span> Nguni language of eastern South Africa and neighbouring countries

Zulu, or IsiZulu as an endonym, is a Southern Bantu language of the Nguni branch spoken and indigenous to Southern Africa. It is the language of the Zulu people, with about 13.56 million native speakers, who primarily inhabit the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa, and it is understood by over 50% of its population. It became one of South Africa's 12 official languages in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candomblé Bantu</span> Branch of Candomblé religion

Candomblé Bantu is one of the major branches (nations) of the Candomblé religious belief system. It developed in the Portuguese Empire among Kongo and Mbundu slaves who spoke Kikongo and Kimbundu languages. The supreme and creative god is Nzambi or Nzambi a Mpungu. Below him are the Jinkisi or Minkisi, deities of Bantu mythology. These deities resemble Olorun and the other orishas of the Yoruba religion. Minkisi is a Kongo language term: it is the plural of Nkisi, meaning "receptacle". Akixi comes from the Kimbundu language term Mukixi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kongo language</span> Bantu language of west-central Africa

Kongo or Kikongo is one of the Bantu languages spoken by the Kongo people living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Republic of the Congo, Gabon, and Angola. It is a tonal language. The vast majority of present-day speakers live in Africa. There are roughly seven million native speakers of Kongo in the above-named countries. An estimated five million more speakers use it as a second language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kongo people</span> Ethnic group in Central Africa

The Kongo people are a Bantu ethnic group primarily defined as the speakers of Kikongo. Subgroups include the Beembe, Bwende, Vili, Sundi, Yombe, Dondo, Lari, and others.

Kituba is a widely used lingua franca in Central Africa. It is a creole language based on Kikongo, a Bantu language. It is a national language in Republic of the Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Daniel Laemouahuma Jatta is a Jola scholar and musician from Mandinary, Gambia, who pioneered the research and documentation of the akonting, a Jola folk lute, as well as the related Manjago folk lute, the buchundu, in the mid-1980s. Prior to Jatta's work, these instruments were largely unknown outside the rural villages of the Senegambia region of West Africa.

Kanye is a Yoruba, Igbo, Swahili, Zulu and Xhosa name. In Yoruba culture, the name means "next in line". In Igbo culture, the name means "let's give". The name or word Kanye can also be derived from Bantu languages indigenous to the Swahili people of Eastern Africa meaning "only once"; "only one" and "to shine". In Zulu and Xhosa cultures of South Africa, UzuKhanye means "ought to shine".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bantu religion</span> Beliefs and legends of the Bantu people

Bantu religion is the system of beliefs and legends of the Bantu people of Africa. Although Bantu peoples account for several hundred different ethnic groups, there is a high degree of homogeneity in Bantu cultures and customs, just as in Bantu languages. Many Bantu cultures traditionally believed in a supreme god whose name is a variation of Nyambe/Nzambe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bantu peoples</span> Ethnolinguistic group in Africa

The Bantu peoples are an ethnolinguistic grouping of approximately 400 distinct native African ethnic groups who speak Bantu languages. The languages are native to 24 countries spread over a vast area from Central Africa to Southeast Africa and into Southern Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afro-Dominicans (Dominica)</span> Ethnic group

Afro-Dominicans are Dominicans of African descent and the majority of the Commonwealth of Dominica's population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boubou (clothing)</span> Flowing wide-sleeved robe in Africa

The boubou or grand boubou is a flowing wide-sleeved robe worn across West Africa, and to a lesser extent in North Africa, related to the dashiki suit.

References

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  2. "Black People : – The Mandinka Legacy in The New World". Destee – Black Discussion Forum. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  3. "The Ekonting: African Roots of the Banjo – A Direct Connection Between African & African-American Music – Down Home Radio Show". 16 April 2008. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  4. "Bongo | Etymology, origin and meaning of bongo by etymonline".
  5. Mason, Julian (1960). "The Etymology of 'Buckaroo'". American Speech. 35 (1): 51–55. doi:10.2307/453613. JSTOR   453613.
  6. "Chigger | Etymology, origin and meaning of chigger by etymonline".
  7. "chimpanzee" in American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2011.
  8. "Kola Definition & Meaning". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  9. "Ebony Definition & Meaning". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  10. Conference, Association of Social Anthropologists of the Commonwealth; Conference 1, Association of Social Anthropologists of the Commonwealth (1995). Worlds Apart: Modernity Through the Prism of the Local. Psychology Press. ISBN   9780415107884.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. "Play Stuff Blog » Archives » Jenga. Jenga? Jenga! | National Museum of Play". 7 August 2011. Archived from the original on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  12. "JUKEBOX definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary" . Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  13. "Jumbo definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary".
  14. "Tilapia etymology". www.aquaticcommunity.com. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  15. "Voodoo definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary".
  16. "Zebra | Etymology, origin and meaning of zebra by etymonline".
  17. "zombie | Search Online Etymology Dictionary". www.etymonline.com. Retrieved 15 November 2023.