eniyan
Yoruba edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
Possibly from Proto-Yoruboid *Vnḭ. A folk etymology states it comes from eni (“being, person”) + ì- (“nominalizing prefix”) + yàn (“to choose”), literally “Chosen beings”, in comparison to earlier pre-human earthly beings called eníyán, translated as "the one's who were expelled."
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
ènìyàn
Derived terms edit
- ẹ̀dá-ènìyàn (“homo sapiens”)