User:Linshee/English words of African origin

/pared down

Berber

 * aoudad – from some Berber language. A wild North African caprid.
 * argan – from Central Atlas Tamazight (targan), from Tashelhit. A tree endemic to Morocco.
 * assegai – from Proto-Berber *zaġāya ("spear"). A slim hardwood spear with an iron tip.
 * azawakh – possibly from a Tuareg langauge. A breed of dog from West and North Africa
 * couscous – from Ouargli ⵙⴽⵙⵓ (seksu), from Tashelhit. A North African pasta made of crushed and steamed semolina.

Chadic

 * acha – from Hausa . A grass species cultivated in West Africa.
 * goje – from Hausa goge. A one- or two-stringed fiddle made of a gourd or calabash.

Cushitic

 * gerenuk – from Somali garanuug. A long-necked antelope found in the Horn of Africa.

Egyptian

 * adobe – from ḏbt ("brick, block, ingot"). A building material made of earth or other organic materials.
 * ammonia – from   ("Amun"). A gaseous compound of hydrogen and nitrogen. Named a such because it was first found near a temple of Amun.
 * anise – from   (probably "anise"). A flowering plant whose seeds are often used as a spice.
 * barge – from   ("transport ship"). A flat-bottomed boat.
 * basalt – from bḫn  ("a hard rock"). A common igneous rock.
 * ebony – from   ("ebony wood; ebony tree"). A dense black hardwood.
 * gum – from qmyt ("acanthus resin, gum"). A sticky substance.
 * ibis – from   ("ibis"). A long-legged wading bird.
 * ivory – from   ("elephant; ivory"). Hard, white material from the tusks of elephants and other animals.
 * lily – from   ("flower; blossom"). A common flower.
 * oasis – from   ("cauldron"). A spring of fresh water in a desert.
 * pharaoh – from   ("palace; pharaoh"). A supreme ruler of Ancient Egypt.
 * phoenix – from   ("grey heron"). A mythological bird that is born again after death.

Coptic

 * halloumi – from (halōm, "cheese"). A semi-hard Cypriot cheese made of goat's and sheep's milk.
 * skete – from Ϣⲓϩⲏⲧ (Šihēt). A type of hermitage in Eastern Christianity.

Arabic

 * bendir – from Moroccan Arabic بَنْدِير‎ (bendīr). A type of frame drum used in Morocco and other parts of North Africa.
 * cotton – from Egyptian Arabic قُطُن‎ (quṭūn). A plant that is harvested and used as a fabric or cloth.
 * djellaba – from Moroccan Arabic جلابة‎ (jellāba). A loose-fitting, ankle-length hooded robe worn by men in North Africa.
 * doum palm – from Moroccan Arabic دوم (dawm). A palm tree with edible oval fruit.
 * halloumi – from Egyptian Arabic حلوم (ḥālūm). A semi-hard Cypriot cheese made of goat's and sheep's milk.
 * kif – from Moroccan Arabic كِيف‎ (kif, "opiate"). A kind of cannabis smoked in Morocco and Algeria, for narcotic or intoxicating effect.
 * loofah – from Egyptian Arabic لُوفَة‎ (lūfa). A tropical vine whose spongy interior is dried and used as a bathing sponge.
 * marabout – from Moroccan Arabic مْرَابِط‎ (mrabeṭ). A Muslim religious leader and teacher in West and North Africa.
 * mhorr – from Moroccan Arabic مهر (mhor). A large gazelle native to the Sahara desert.
 * shadoof – from Egyptian Arabic شادوف‎ (shādūf). A device used to gather water, consisting of a pivoted stick with a bucket on the end of it.
 * shisha – from Egyptian Arabic شيشة (šīša). An Arab water-pipe, or hookah.

Ethiopian

 * abugida – from Geʽez አቡጊዳ (ʾäbugida "Geʽez script"). A type of segmental writing system.
 * ensete – from Geʽez እንሰት (inset). Flowering plants part of the banana family.
 * gelada – from Amharic (č̣əlada). A species of Old World monkey.
 * jilbab – from Geʽez ግልባብ (gəlbab, "covering, veil, wrapper"). A long, loosely-fitting coat worn by some Muslim women.
 * shifta – from Amharic ሽፍታ (šəfta). An outlaw, especially in Eastern Africa.
 * teff – from Amharic ጤፍ (ṭēff). A type of lovegrass native to Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Austronesian

 * aye-aye – from Malagasy aiay. A small, rodent-like lemur.
 * babakoto – from Malagasy babakoto. A large lemur, an indri.
 * coua – from Malagasy koa. A type of large, terrestrial birds in the cuckoo family.
 * indri – from Malagasy endira. A large lemur.
 * tangena – from Malagasy. A tree known for its highly toxic nuts.
 * tenrec – from Malagasy tandraka, trandrake via French. A small mammal belonging to the Tenrecidae family.
 * valiha – from Malagasy. A type of zither made of bamboo.
 * vontsira – from Malagasy vontsira. The name for two different small, mongoose-like mammals.

Khoe

 * buchu – from Nama buku. Several herbal species prized for their fragrance and medicinal use.
 * gnu – from Nama. A large antelope with curved horns native to Africa.
 * naras – from Nama !naras ("naras fruit"). A melon that grows in Namibia.
 * oribi – from Nama orab. A small African antelope.
 * tsamma – from some Khoe language. A bitter melon.

Niger–Congo

 * cola – from some Niger–Congo language. The kola plant, famous for its nut, or one of these nuts. Also: A beverage or a drink made with kola nut flavoring, caramel and carbonated water.

Kwa

 * aboma – from Fante aboma ("large constricting snake"). Any of the large South American serpents from the genus Boa or related genera.
 * kente – from Twi. A type of fabric made of interwoven cloth strips, native to Ghana.
 * kwashiorkor – from Ga kwàṣìɔkɔ́ ("the sickness the older child gets when the next baby is born"). A form of malnutrition, found in children, caused by dietary insufficiency of protein in combination with a high carbohydrate diet.
 * shito – from a Ga word meaning "pepper". A spicy Ghanaian sauce made with seafood, tomatoes, garlic, peppers, and spices.

Senegambian

 * akonting – from Jola-Fonyi. The folk lute of the Jola people of West Africa.
 * azawakh - possibly from Fula. A breed of dog from West and North Africa
 * banana – from Wolof  ("banana") via Spanish or Portuguese. An elongated curved tropical fruit that grows in bunches and has a creamy flesh and a smooth skin.
 * chigger – from earlier , possibly from Wolof or Yoruba jiga ("insect"). A small tropical flea.
 * fonio – from Wolof foño. A cereal cultivated in Western Africa.
 * khaya – from Wolof khaye ("African mahogany tree"). Any tree of the genus Khaya.
 * mbalax – from a Wolof word meaning "rhythm". A genre of popular dance music chiefly performed in Senegal and The Gambia.
 * nitta – from Fula nétě, from Mandinka. A tropical tree that has edible pods and seeds.
 * thieboudienne – from Wolof ceebu jën via French thiéboudiène. A traditional dish from Senegal, consisting of fish and rice with tomato sauce.
 * xalam – from Wolof. A traditional lute-like string instrument of West Africa.

Volta–Congo

 * Bantu
 * abakwetha – from Xhosa abakwetha. A young Xhosa man undergoing the ritual initiation in to manhood.
 * agogwe – from Kuria agogwe. A purported small human-like biped reported from the forests of East Africa.
 * akalat – from Bulu akalat. Any of several species of African birds in the genus Sheppardia.
 * amafufunyana – from Zulu. In Zulu and Xhosa culture, a mental disorder in which the sufferer is believed to have been possessed by evil spirits, causing hysteria.
 * amasi, maas – from Zulu  ("curdled or soured milk"). Fermented milk that tastes like cottage cheese or plain yogurt.
 * askari – from Swahili  ("soldier"). A member of a local African military or police unit, usually one serving in a European colonial force.
 * basenji – from Lingala. A breed of dog from Central Africa.
 * banjo – perhaps from Bantu mbanza. A stringed instrument.
 * bao – from Swahili  ("board; goal; board game"). A mancala board game played in East Africa.
 * boda boda – from Swahili ', itself from English '. A bicycle or motorcycle used as a taxi.
 * bongo – probably from Lokele boungu, via American Spanish . A pair of small drums.
 * boma – from Swahili . An enclosure usually made of thorn bushes, and latterly of steel fencing, for protection from marauders.
 * – from Swahili  ("master"), from Arabic. A big boss, important person.
 * chama – from Swahili  ("organization; society"). An informal cooperative society, usually for pooling and investing savings.
 * chikungunya – from Makonde chikungunya ("that which bends up", referring to the arthritic effects of the disease). A viral fever caused by the Chikungunya virus, an alphavirus spread by mosquito bites.
 * chimpanzee – from some Bantu language, possibly Vili ci-mpenzi. A great ape of the genus Pan, native to Africa, and believed by biologists to be the closest extant relative to humans.
 * cocopan – from Nguni nqukumbana. A small minecart.
 * dagga – from Shona. Earthen plaster.
 * dengue – possibly from Swahili dinga ("sudden attack; seizure") via Spanish. An acute febrile mosquito-borne tropical disease.
 * duppy – from Bube dupe ("ghost"). A Caribbean ghost or spirit, often appearing in the form of a dog barking or howling through the night.
 * gacaca – from Kinyarwanda. A system of community justice inspired by Rwandan tradition, used more recently in the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide.
 * goober – from Kongo  ("peanut"). A peanut.
 * gqom – from Zulu. A minimalistic style of house music from South Africa.
 * gumbo – from Bantu ngombo, kingombo ("okra plant"). A soup or stew made with okra.
 * hakuna matata – from Swahili  ("there are no worries"). A phrase meaning "no worries; take it easy". Popularized by Disney's The Lion King.
 * harambee – from Swahili  ("let's pull together!"). A traditional Kenyan community self-help event or organization.
 * imbabala – from some Bantu language. A bushbuck, Tragelaphus sylvaticus, one of two species, ranging more into southern and eastern Africa than the other species, the harnessed bushbuck.
 * impala – from Zulu . An African antelope, Aepyceros melampus, noted for its leaping ability; the male has ridged, curved horns.
 * impi – from Zulu  ("war, battle, army"). A group of Zulu (or other Bantu) warriors; a detachment of armed men.
 * indaba – from Zulu  ("matter, issue, affair") A tribal conference held by Nguni leaders.
 * indlamu – from Zulu indlamu. A traditional Zulu dance from South Africa in which the dancer lifts one foot over the head and brings it down hard, landing squarely on the downbeat.
 * inDuna – from Zulu  ("male animal; headman"). A South African tribal councillor or headman (under the king); someone in authority, a boss.
 * inyanga – from Zulu]  ("moon; month"). A traditional Zulu doctor or healer.
 * isibongo – from Zulu  ("surname; clan name"). A complimentary metonym used to describe members of a Zulu clan.
 * jenga – from Swahili  ("to build, construct"). A game where players try to remove a block from a tower of wooden blocks without toppling the tower.
 * jumbo – from the name of Jumbo, a large elephant, from Swahili ' ("hello") and ' ("chief"). Very large or powerful.
 * jumbie – from Kongo zumbi ("fetish"). A Caribbean ghost or evil spirit.
 * kabaka – from Luganda akabaka. The title of the king of Buganda.
 * kadogo – from Swahili  ("little one"). A child soldier, especially in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
 * kanga – from Swahili  ("kanga; guinea fowl"). A colourful printed cotton garment worn by women in East Africa.
 * kanzu – from Swahili . A white or cream-coloured robe worn by men in the African Great Lakes region.
 * kikoi – from Swahili . A traditional rectangle of woven cloth originating from eastern Africa.
 * kizomba – from Kimbundu kizomba ("party").
 * kgosi – from Tswana . A tribal chief among the Tswana people of southern Africa.
 * kgotla – from Tswana . Any of several types of public meetings in a Botswana village, especially involving a gathering of tribal elders; also the place where such a meeting is held.
 * kongamato – from a Kaonde word meaning "breaker of boats". A pterosaur-like cryptid of Africa.
 * kongoni – from Swahili  ("gnu; hartebeest; topi") A type of hartebeest from East Africa.
 * konzo – from Yaka. An epidemic paralytic disease associated with excessive consumption of cassava, which contains cyanide.
 * kwacha – from Chichewa  ("it has dawned"). The name of the currency of Malawi and Zambia.
 * kwela – from Zulu -khwela ("get up"). A style of music, first played in the townships, whose principal instrument is the penny whistle.
 * lechwe – from Tswana, or from Sotho letsa ("antelope"). Kobus leche, an African antelope that inhabits marshy regions.
 * lekgotla – from Tswana lekgotla ("a public place where consultation and judicial proceedings are conducted"). A consultative process between groups pursuing a common goal.
 * likembe – from Lingala likembé. A musical instrument found in sub-Saharan Africa; a kind of lamellophone.
 * lilangeni – from Swazi lilangeni. The currency of Swaziland.
 * lobola – from Xhosa, Zulu . The bride price among certain Bantu peoples of South Africa.
 * loti – from Sotho loti ("mountain"). The basic monetary unit of the currency of the Kingdom of Lesotho.
 * macumba – from Kimbundu makôba. A religious cult, having elements of sorcery, ritual dance and fetishes, from Brazil.
 * mandazi – from Swahili . A form of fried bread from eastern Africa.
 * mahewu – from Zulu amaHewu. A sour beverage from Africa, made from cornmeal.
 * makoro – from Tswana . A dugout canoe, especially as used in the Okavango Swamps of Botswana.
 * makossa – from a Duala word meaning ("I dance"). A music genre from Cameroon, with a strong bass rhythm and prominent horn section.
 * mamba – from Zulu . Any of various venomous snakes of the genus Dendroaspis, native to Africa, that live in trees.
 * marabunta – from Kimbundu marimbonda ("Sceliphron spirifex"). The name of several large wasps known for their painful stings.
 * marimba – from some Bantu language, perhaps Kimbundu marimba ("xylophone"). A musical instrument similar to a xylophone but clearer in pitch.
 * matatu – from Swahili  ("three"), based on the original price of three shillings. A privately-owned minibus serving as share taxis.
 * matoke – from Luganda matooke. Mashed boiled bananas or plantains, a staple food in Uganda.
 * mbaqanga – from Zulu mbaqanga. A style of South African music, with rural Zulu roots and a jazz influence, that originated in the 1960s.
 * mbube – from Zulu  ("lion"). A style of a cappella choral music originating among the Zulus of South Africa.
 * mbuna – from Tonga mbuna ("cichlid"). One of a group of haplochromine cichlids from Lake Malawi.
 * mganga – from Swahili . An African witch doctor.
 * miombo – from Bemba miombo. Any tree of the genus Brachystegia.
 * miraa – from Swahili . Khat.
 * mopane – from Tswana . A tree, Colophospermum mopane, native to southern Africa.
 * moqueca – from Kimbundu mukeka. A Brazilian stew based on fish, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and cilantro.
 * motlopi – from Tswana motlopi. An evergreen tree native to southern and tropical Africa, Boscia albitrunca; one of the most important forage trees of the Kalahari.
 * mpingo – from Swahili  ("ebony tree"}. A small African tree in the family Fabaceae.
 * msasa – from Shona musasa. A tree of Central Africa, Brachystegia spiciformis.
 * muti – from Zulu . ("tree, wood, medicine"). Traditional Southern African medicine.
 * mwenge – from Luganda . An alcoholic drink of Uganda, made with fermented bananas and sorghum.
 * mvule – from Swahili . A tropical African tree yielding iroko wood.
 * mzee – from Swahili . An honorific for elders.
 * mzungu – from Swahili  ("wanderer"). A white person in East Africa.
 * nagana – from Zulu ulunakane, unakane. A disease of vertebrates in southern Africa, characterised by swelling and lethargy and caused by trypanosomes transmitted by tsetse flies.
 * nkisi – from Kongo nkisi ("spirit, charm"). A spirit, or an object inhabited by a spirit, in Bantu religious beliefs.
 * nyala – probably from Tsonga nyala. A southern African antelope, Tragelaphus angasii.
 * pombe – from Swahili . Millet beer.
 * posho – from Swahili ' ("rations"), itself from English '. A food product made of cornmeal.
 * pula – from Tswana, Northern Sotho, Sotho . Rain. Also: the currency of Botswana.
 * quilombo – from Kimbundu kilombo. A remote, inland settlement originally settled by fugitive slaves (or others).
 * rungu – from Swahili . A wooden throwing club or baton used in certain East African tribal cultures.
 * sadza – from Shona sadza. A cooked, pulverized grain meal (stiff porridge) that is the staple food in Zimbabwe.
 * sangoma – from Zulu . A South African witch doctor, traditional herbalist, or traditional healer.
 * shongololo – from Xhosa, Zulu ukushonga ("to roll up"). A millipede.
 * safari – from Swahili  ("journey"), from Arabic. A trip into any undeveloped area to see, photograph or hunt wild animals in their own environment.
 * sengi – from Swahili sengi. An elephant shrew.
 * shetani – from Swahili . An evil spirit from East African mythology, often the subject of artwork.
 * shifta – from Swahili . An outlaw, especially in Eastern Africa.
 * shilingi – from Swahili ', itself from English '.
 * shweshwe – from Sotho seShoeshoe, named after Moshoeshoe I. A patterned South African fabric.
 * tilapia – a latinization of Tswana  ("fish"). Any of various edible fish, of the genus Tilapia, native to Africa and the Middle East but naturalized worldwide.
 * thebe – from Tswana  ("shield"). 1/100 of a Botswana pula, the currency of Botswana.
 * toyi-toyi – from Northern Ndebele and Shona. A dance from southern Africa, used especially during political protests.
 * tsetse – from Tswana . Any fly of the genus Glossina, native to Africa, that feeds on human and animal blood; known primarily as a carrier of parasitic trypanosomes.
 * ubuntu – from Xhosa, Zulu . A South African ideology focusing on people's allegiances and relations with each other.
 * umqombothi – from Xhosa. A beer made from maize, maize malt, sorghum malt, yeast and water, commonly found in South Africa.
 * vuvuzela – from Zulu vuvuzela ("to make a vu vu noise"). A trumpet-shaped horn, now usually plastic, that produces a loud buzzing sound.
 * zombie – from some Bantu language. A person, usually undead, animated by unnatural forces (such as magic), with no soul or will of his/her own.
 * Cross River
 * buckra – from Efik or Ibibio mbakara. A white person.
 * Volta–Niger
 * bocor – from Fon bokono. A voodoo practitioner who deals with malefic as well as beneficial effects; a sorcerer.
 * chigger – from earlier , possibly from Yoruba or Wolof jiga ("insect"). A small tropical flea.

Mande

 * nitta – from Mandinka nété. A tropical tree that has edible pods and seeds

Nilo-Saharan

 * nanga – from Acholi naŋa. A simple harp used in central and eastern Africa.
 * nyatiti – from Luo nyatiti. A traditional eight-stringed lyre.
 * okapi – from Mvuba okapi. A large ruminant mammal native to the rainforests of the Congo.

Creoles and pidgins

 * guyman – from Nigerian Pidgin guyman ("boy; cunning person"). A fraudster involved in an advance free scam.
 * khazi – possibly from Mediterranean Lingua Franca, via Polari and Italian. An outhouse, lavatory, toilet.
 * oyinbo – from Nigerian Pidgin , from a Yoruba word literally meaning "peeled-off skin". A white person.
 * tosheroon – from Mediterranean Lingua Franca, from Italian. A half-crown coin.