namwali

Chichewa

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Bantu *mʊ̀jàdɪ́ (“woman”), though perhaps the "na-" at the start is influenced by Swahili mwanamwali.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /naˈmʷa.ɽi/

Noun

namwali class 1a (plural anamwali class 2)

  1. initiate (boy or girl at the initiation cermonies)
    1. (by extension) virgin (uninitiated children are virgins)

References

  • Steven Paas (2016), Oxford Chichewa-English/English - Chichewa Dictionary‎[1], Oxford University Press
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