amboa

Malagasy

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /am͡buạ/

Etymology

Borrowed from Swahili mbwa.

Malagasy is unusual among the Austronesian languages in that all its words for 'dog' are derived from Bantu languages. All the dogs in Madagascar are descended from dogs from mainland Africa. The initial Austronesian settlers of Madagascar certainly would have brought dogs with them, but these dogs may not have survived the voyage to Madagascar.

Noun

amboa

1. dog

Synonyms

• alika