mamba

See also: Mamba

English

Green mamba (Dendroaspis viridis)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Bantu *mbámbà

Zulu ímâmbader.

English mamba

Derived from Zulu ímâmba, from Proto-Bantu *mbámbà.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmæmbə/, /ˈmɑm.bɑ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

mamba (plural mambas)

1. Any of various venomous snakes of the genus Dendroaspis, native to Africa, that live in trees.

Derived terms

• black mamba
• green mamba

Translations

venomous snake

• Afrikaans: mamba, makoppa
• Basque: manba
• Catalan: mamba f
• Chichewa: nsongo
• Czech: mamba (cs) f
• Dutch: mamba (nl) m
• Finnish: mamba (fi)
• French: mamba (fr) m
• German: Mamba f
• Italian: mamba m
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: mamba (pl) f
• Portuguese: mamba (pt) f
• Russian: ма́мба (ru) f (mámba)
• Spanish: mamba (es) f
• Swahili: please add this translation if you can
• Zulu: imamba (zu) class 9/10

Further reading

• mamba on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Dendroaspis on Wikispecies.Wikispecies

Anagrams

• bamma

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Zulu imamba.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [ˈmam.bə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈmam.ba]

Noun

mamba f (plural mambes)

1. mamba (venomous snake)

Further reading

• “mamba”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

Chichewa

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈma.ᵐba/

Noun

mamba class 6

1. scale(s) (of a fish or snake)

Etymology 2

Cognate to Zulu imamba.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmá.ᵐba/

Noun

mámba class 9 (plural mámba class 10)

1. spitting cobra

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmamba]

Noun

mamba f

1. mamba

Declension

Declension of mamba (hard feminine reducible)

	singular	plural
nominative	mamba	mamby
genitive	mamby	mamb
dative	mambě	mambám
accusative	mambu	mamby
vocative	mambo	mamby
locative	mambě	mambách
instrumental	mambou	mambami

Further reading

• “mamba”, in Kartotéka Novočeského lexikálního archivu (in Czech)
• “mamba”, in Akademický slovník cizích slov at prirucka.ujc.cas.cz [Academic dictionary of foreign words] (in Czech), 1995

Dutch

Etymology

Probably borrowed from English mamba or Afrikaans mamba, from Zulu imamba or Swazi mamba.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑm.baː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: mam‧ba
• Rhymes: -ɑmbaː

Noun

mamba m (plural mamba's, no diminutive)

1. a mamba, venomous snake of the genus Dendroaspis

Derived terms

• groene mamba
• zwarte mamba

Finnish

Etymology

From English mamba, from Zulu imamba.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑmbɑ/, [ˈmɑ̝mbɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -ɑmbɑ
• Syllabification^(key): mam‧ba
• Hyphenation^(key): mam‧ba

Noun

mamba

1. mamba

Declension

Inflection of mamba (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)
nominative		mamba	mambat
genitive		mamban	mambojen
partitive		mambaa	mamboja
illative		mambaan	mamboihin
		singular	plural
nominative		mamba	mambat
accusative	nom.	mamba	mambat
	gen.	mamban
genitive		mamban	mambojen mambain rare
partitive		mambaa	mamboja
inessive		mambassa	mamboissa
elative		mambasta	mamboista
illative		mambaan	mamboihin
adessive		mamballa	mamboilla
ablative		mambalta	mamboilta
allative		mamballe	mamboille
essive		mambana	mamboina
translative		mambaksi	mamboiksi
abessive		mambatta	mamboitta
instructive		—	mamboin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of mamba (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative mambani mambani accusative nom. mambani mambani gen. mambani genitive mambani mambojeni mambaini rare partitive mambaani mambojani inessive mambassani mamboissani elative mambastani mamboistani illative mambaani mamboihini adessive mamballani mamboillani ablative mambaltani mamboiltani allative mamballeni mamboilleni essive mambanani mamboinani translative mambakseni mamboikseni abessive mambattani mamboittani instructive — — comitative — mamboineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative mambasi mambasi accusative nom. mambasi mambasi gen. mambasi genitive mambasi mambojesi mambaisi rare partitive mambaasi mambojasi inessive mambassasi mamboissasi elative mambastasi mamboistasi illative mambaasi mamboihisi adessive mamballasi mamboillasi ablative mambaltasi mamboiltasi allative mamballesi mamboillesi essive mambanasi mamboinasi translative mambaksesi mamboiksesi abessive mambattasi mamboittasi instructive — — comitative — mamboinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative mambamme mambamme accusative nom. mambamme mambamme gen. mambamme genitive mambamme mambojemme mambaimme rare partitive mambaamme mambojamme inessive mambassamme mamboissamme elative mambastamme mamboistamme illative mambaamme mamboihimme adessive mamballamme mamboillamme ablative mambaltamme mamboiltamme allative mamballemme mamboillemme essive mambanamme mamboinamme translative mambaksemme mamboiksemme abessive mambattamme mamboittamme instructive — — comitative — mamboinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative mambanne mambanne accusative nom. mambanne mambanne gen. mambanne genitive mambanne mambojenne mambainne rare partitive mambaanne mambojanne inessive mambassanne mamboissanne elative mambastanne mamboistanne illative mambaanne mamboihinne adessive mamballanne mamboillanne ablative mambaltanne mamboiltanne allative mamballenne mamboillenne essive mambananne mamboinanne translative mambaksenne mamboiksenne abessive mambattanne mamboittanne instructive — — comitative — mamboinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative mambansa mambansa accusative nom. mambansa mambansa gen. mambansa genitive mambansa mambojensa mambainsa rare partitive mambaansa mambojaan mambojansa inessive mambassaan mambassansa mamboissaan mamboissansa elative mambastaan mambastansa mamboistaan mamboistansa illative mambaansa mamboihinsa adessive mamballaan mamballansa mamboillaan mamboillansa ablative mambaltaan mambaltansa mamboiltaan mamboiltansa allative mamballeen mamballensa mamboilleen mamboillensa essive mambanaan mambanansa mamboinaan mamboinansa translative mambakseen mambaksensa mamboikseen mamboiksensa abessive mambattaan mambattansa mamboittaan mamboittansa instructive — — comitative — mamboineen mamboinensa

Derived terms

compounds

• jamesoninmamba
• mustamamba
• vihermamba

Further reading

• “mamba”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 3 July 2023

French

Noun

mamba m (plural mambas)

1. mamba

Derived terms

• mamba noir

Polish

mamba

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmam.ba/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -amba
• Syllabification: mam‧ba

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Bantu *mbámbà

Zulu ímâmbader.

English mambabor.

Polish mamba

Borrowed from English mamba, from Zulu ímâmba, from Proto-Bantu *mbámbà.

Noun

mamba f

1. mamba (any snake of the genus Dendroaspis)

Declension

Declension of mamba

	singular	plural
nominative	mamba	mamby
genitive	mamby	mamb
dative	mambie	mambom
accusative	mambę	mamby
instrumental	mambą	mambami
locative	mambie	mambach
vocative	mambo	mamby

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

mamba n

1. genitive singular of mambo

Further reading

• “mamba”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[2] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “mamba”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[3] (in Polish)

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈmɐ̃.bɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈmɐ̃.bɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈmɐ̃.ba/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈmɐ̃.bɐ/

• Rhymes: -ɐ̃bɐ
• Hyphenation: mam‧ba

Noun

mamba f (plural mambas)

1. mamba (venomous snake of the genus Dendroaspis)

Further reading

• “mamba”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “mamba”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmamba/ [ˈmãm.ba]
• Rhymes: -amba
• Syllabification: mam‧ba

Noun

mamba f (plural mambas)

1. mamba

Further reading

• “mamba”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Swahili

mamba

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Noun

mamba class IX (plural mamba class X)

1. crocodile (reptile)

   Synonym: (dialectal) ngwena

2. black mamba

Swazi

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

mamba class 1a (plural bómamba class 2a)

1. mamba snake

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.