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- DictionaryBwa·na/ˈbwänə/
noun
- 1. (in East Africa) a boss or master (often used as a title or form of address): "he can't hear you, bwana"
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What does Bwana mean in Swahili?
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noun. bwa· na ˈbwä-nə. : master, boss. Word History. Etymology. Swahili, from Arabic abūna our father. First Known Use. 1874, in the meaning defined above. Time Traveler. The first known use of bwana was in 1874. See more words from the same year. Dictionary Entries Near bwana. BW. bwana. BWD. See More Nearby Entries. Cite this Entry. Style.
Bwana definition: (in Africa) master; boss.. See examples of BWANA used in a sentence.
1 day ago · (in E Africa) a master, often used as a respectful form of address corresponding to sir. Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers. Word origin. Swahili, from Arabic abūna our father. Word Frequency. bwana in American English. (ˈbwɑnə ) noun. Obsolete. master; sir. respectful term of address used in parts of Africa.
- English
- Anguthimri
- Chichewa
- Swahili
Etymology
Borrowed from Swahili bwana (“master”), from Arabic أَبُونَا (ʔabūnā, “our father”). Doublet of abbot.
Pronunciation
1. IPA(key): /ˈbwɑːnə/ 2. Rhymes: -ɑːnə
Noun
bwana (plural bwanas) 1. (slang) Big boss, important person. 1.1. 2005, David Foster Wallace, Consider the Lobster and Other Essays, New York: Little, Brown and Company, →ISBN, page 208: 1.1.1. It is Jim C.’s custom always to say “Up Simba” in a fake-deep bwana voice as he hefts the camera to his right shoulder […]
Noun
bwana 1. (Mpakwithi) bream
References
1. Terry Crowley, The Mpakwithi dialect of Anguthimri(1981), page 185
Etymology
Borrowed from Swahili bwana (“master”), from Arabic أَبُونَا (ʔabūnā, “our father”).
Pronunciation
1. IPA(key): /ˈɓʷá.na/
Noun
bwána class 1a (plural abwána class 2) 1. boss, master
Alternative forms
1. (abbreviation) Bw.
Etymology
From Arabic أَبُونَا (ʔabūnā, “our father”).
Noun
bwana (ma class, plural mabwana) 1. master, lord 2. mister, Mr. 3. boss 4. husband
bwana in OED Second Edition (1989) East African. 1860–. A title of courtesy or respect prefixed to the surname or first name of a man. Also as a form of address. In early use also: a master. Cf. Bw n. 1860.
noun. Used as a form of respectful address in parts of Africa. American Heritage. Master; sir. Webster's New World. (slang) Big boss, important person. Not always used as a favorable term. Wiktionary. Other Word Forms of Bwana. Noun. Singular: bwana. Plural: bwanas. Origin of Bwana.
Bwana is a Swahili term for master or boss, often used as a respectful form of address in parts of Africa. It derives from Arabic abūnā, meaning our father, and is also spelled as bwa·na.
