sehemu

Swahili

Etymology

Borrowed from Omani Arabic سهم (sehem), from Arabic سَهْم (sahm, “part, portion”).[1]

Pronunciation

  • Audio (Kenya):(file)

Noun

sehemu class IX (plural sehemu class X)

  1. part, portion, fraction, act
  2. place, part of the world
    Afrika ni sehemu maalum.
    Africa is a special place.

Usage notes

Used to form fractions where the numerator is 1, in which case sehemu is followed by the ordinal form of the number. See Appendix:Swahili numbers for more.

References

  1. ^ Baldi, Sergio (30 November 2020), Dictionary of Arabic Loanwords in the Languages of Central and East Africa (Handbuch der Orientalistik; Erste Abteilung: Der Nahe und der Mittlere Osten; 145), Leiden • Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 154 Nr. 1384
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