mwaki

Kikuyu

FWOTD – 25 June 2023

Etymology 1

Hinde (1904) records mwaki as an equivalent of English fire in “Jogowini dialect” of Kikuyu, listing also “Nganyawa dialect” (spoken then in Kitui District) of Kamba mwadgi or djuki as its equivalent.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mwàkì(ꜜ)/, /moàkì(ꜜ)/

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, 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, mwario (“way of speaking”), mbogoro, nda, ndaka, ndigiri, ngo, njagathi, njogu, nyondo (“breast(s)”), and so on.

Noun

mwaki class 3 (plural mĩaki)

1. fire

Derived terms

(Proverbs)

• gũota mwaki nĩ kũhuria
• mũndũ ũrĩ na ũndũ otaga mwaki na riũa
• mwaki wa Ngai ũraaragio nĩ igoto
• ngwaci ya mwana wene noyo ihoragia mwaki
• rũtungu rũmwe rũtiraragia mwaki

See also

• gĩcinga, kĩmũrĩ

Etymology 2

From gwaka (“to build”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mwàkíꜜ/, /moàkíꜜ/

As for Tonal Class, Armstrong (1940) classifies this term into mbori class which includes mbũri, ikinya (pl. makinya), itimũ, kĩhaato, maguta, mbembe, mũgeka, mũrata, nyaga, ũhoro, riitho, riũa, rũrĩmĩ, Kamau (“man's name”), etc. Benson (1964) classifies this term into Class 3 with a disyllabic stem, together with kĩhaato, mbembe, kiugo, and so on.

Noun

mwaki class 1 (plural aaki)

1. builder