agbeli

Ewe

Etymology

From agbe (“life”) +‎ li (“to exist”), literally “there is life”, indicating the significance of cassava as a staple food in Ewe society.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /à.ɡ͡bè.lì/

Noun

àgbèlì (definite singular àgbèlì lá or àgbèlìà, collective plural àgbèlìwó, definite collective plural àgbèlìàwó)

1. cassava

Derived terms

• agbelidɔ (“woody fibers of cassava”)
• agbelidzĩe (“species of cassava”)
• agbelifufu (“fufu made from cassava”)
• agbelikaklo (“gari balls deep-fried in oil”)
• agbelikɔ, agbelidzokpo (“boiled cassava pieces”)
• agbelikpɔnɔ (“steamed cakes made from gari”)
• agbelimexe (“species of small yellow bird”)
• agbelimɔ (“pounded cassava”)
• agbelimɔkplẽ (“pounded cassava balls”)
• agbeliti (“cassava stick”)
• agbelitiɣie (“species of cassava”)
• agbelitsi (“drum made from cassava”)

Related terms

• folinya (“grated cassava”)
• gali (“gari”)

References

• Westermann, Dietrich Verfasser (1905) “agbeli”, in Wörterbuch der Ewe-Sprache [Dictionary of the Ewe language]‎^[2] (in German), Berlin: Dietrich Reimer, section I, pages 172-3
• Westermann, Dietrich Verfasser (1906) “agbeli”, in Wörterbuch der Ewe-Sprache [Dictionary of the Ewe language]‎^[3] (in German), Berlin: Dietrich Reimer, section II, pages 104, 121
• Jim-Fugar, Dr. M.K.N., Jim-Fugar, Nicholine (2017) “agbeli”, in Nuseline's Ewe-English Dictionary, 1st edition, Togo: Independently published, →ISBN, page 15