ng'ombe

See also: ngombe and ngɔ́mbɛ́

Chichewa

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *ngòmbè.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈŋo.ᵐbe/

Noun

9 class ?

1. cow, ox

---

Kikuyu

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *ngòmbè. Hinde (1904) records ngombe as an equivalent of English cow in “Jogowini dialect” of Kikuyu, listing also Kamba ngombe and Swahili ngombe as its equivalents.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ŋɔ̀ᵐbɛ̀ꜜ/

As for Tonal Class, Armstrong (1940) classifies this term into moondo class which includes mũndũ, huko, igego, igoti, inooro, irigũ, irũa, kĩbaata, kĩmũrĩ, kũgũrũ, mũciĩ, mũgeni, mũri, mwaki (“fire”), ndaka, ndigiri, njagathi, njogu, Mũrĩmi (“man's name”), etc. Benson (1964) classifies this term into Class 1 with a disyllabic stem, together with ndaka, and so on.

• (Kiambu)

• (Limuru) As for Tonal Class, Yukawa (1981) classifies this term into a group including cindano, huko, iburi, igego, igoti, ini (pl. mani), inooro, irigũ, irũa, iturubarĩ (pl. maturubarĩ), kĩbaata, kĩmũrĩ, kũgũrũ, mũciĩ, mũgeni, mũgũrũki, mũmbirarũ, mũndũ, mũri, mũthuuri, mwaki (“fire”), mwario (“way of speaking”), mbogoro, nda, ndaka, ndigiri, ngo, njagathi, njogu, nyondo (“breast(s)”), and so on.

Noun

ng'ombe class 9/10 (plural ng'ombe)

1. cow or ox

   ng'ombe yakwa - my cow/ox

   ng'ombe ciakwa - my cows/oxen

Hypernyms

• mahiũ, indo

Hyponyms

• (female) mori; (male) ndeegwa, ndegwa, ndume; (child) njaũ

Derived terms

(Proverbs)

• gũthũũra ng'ombe nĩ gũthũũra kamũkwa kayo
• ndegwa nyinyi ĩhaicaga ng'ombe na mũtwe
• ng'ombe itionagwo nĩ ithayo
• ng'ombe yahithio njaũ ĩkamagĩrwo ikaya

Related terms

(Nouns)

• kĩgombe class 7

---

Mwani

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *ngòmbè.

Noun

ng'ombe class 9 (plural ng'ombe)

1. cow, ox

---

Swahili

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *ngòmbè.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈŋɔ.ᵐbɛ/

Noun

ng'ombe (n class, plural ng'ombe)

1. cow, ox
2. (derogatory) idiot

Usage notes

• Under animacy rules for Swahili, this noun takes class 1/2 affixes:

  ng'ombe mzuri (nice cow, class 1)

  ng'ombe wazuri (nice cows, class 2)

  Ng'ombe anakula majani (The cow is eating grass)

---

Tumbuka

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *ngòmbè.

Noun

ng'ombe class 9 (plural ng'ombe class 10)

1. cow, ox