karamu

English

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Arabic كَرَم (karam)bor.

Swahili karamubor.

English karamu

Borrowed from Swahili karamu (“feast, banquet”), borrowed from Arabic كَرَم (karam).

Noun

karamu

1. The feast eaten as part of Kwanzaa celebrations.
   • 1983, Lionel Richie, “All Night Long”, in Can't Slow Down:

     We're going to party, karamu, fiesta, forever

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Māori karamū.

Noun

karamu

1. (New Zealand) Any of several species of Coprosma trees and shrubs found in New Zealand.
   • 1983, Keri Hulme, The Bone People, Penguin, published 1986, page 340:

     He shuts his eyes, and drops the twig of karamu he holds in his left hand.

Anagrams

• Kumara, kumara

Japanese

Romanization

karamu

1. Rōmaji transcription of からむ

Ngazidja Comorian

Noun

karamu class 9 (plural karamu class 10)

1. banquet

References

• “karamu” in Outils & Ressources pour l'Exploitation de la Langue Comorienne, 2008.

Swahili

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic كَرَم (karam, “bounty, generosity”).

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Noun

karamu class IX (plural karamu class X)

1. feast, banquet
2. party, celebration