hwai

See also: Hwai

Shona

Etymology

Uncertain, but potentially from a Khoe language (compare Khoekhoe gū-i). Other Bantu languages borrowed this in the form *-gu, for example Sotho nku and Zulu imvu.

Noun

hwai class 9 (plural hwai class 10)

1. sheep

Alternative forms

• gwai (Karanga, Manyika)

References

• Ehret, Christopher (1968) “Sheep and Central Sudanic Peoples in Southern Africa”, in The Journal of African History, volume 9, number 2, pages 213–221