ọkan

See also: okan, Okan, and okán

Yoruba

FWOTD – 25 September 2021

Etymology 1

Yoruba numbers ^(edit)

		10
	←  0	1	2  →	10  →
Cardinal: ọ̀kan, ení     Counting: oókan     Adjectival: kan, méní     Ordinal: kìíní, kìn-ín-ní     Adverbial: ẹ̀ẹ̀kan     Distributive: ọ̀kọ̀ọ̀kan     Collective: ọ̀kọ̀ọ̀kan

Proposed to have derived from Proto-Yoruboid *ɔ̀-wóka̰. Likely cognates include Igala ókà, Ifè kã̀, Itsekiri ọkan, and Olukumi ọ̀kan.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔ̀.kã̄/

Numeral

ọ̀kan

1. one

   Synonym: ení

   Fún mi ní ọ̀kan nínú àwọn ẹja yẹn.

   Give me one of those fish.

   • 2008 December 19, Yiwola Awoyale, Global Yoruba Lexical Database v. 1.0‎^[1], number LDC2008L03, Philadelphia: Linguistic Data Consortium, →DOI, →ISBN:

     Àtowóolówó àtowó-ẹni, kí ọ̀kan ṣáà má ti wọ́nni níbẹ̀.

     Both somebody else's money and personal money, may we not lack whichever one (proverb on a final resort).

Alternative forms

• ìkan

Derived terms

• kan (“one, adjectival form of ọ̀kan”)
• Mẹ́talọ́kan (“Holy Trinity”)
• oókan (“one, counting form of ọ̀kan”)
• ọlọ́kan (“owner of one”)
• ọ̀kankọ́kan (“any particular one”)
• ọ̀kọ̀ọ̀kan (“each or every one”)
• ọ̀kàn-ọ̀kán-yà (“minimal pair”)

 

Descendants

→ Lucumí: okán

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔ̀.kã̄/

Noun

ọ̀kan

1. Sorindeia juglandifolia

Etymology 3

ọkàn

Likely a Proto-Yoruba innovation that displaced ẹ̀dọ̀ (“chest, heart, emotion”), which served as the term for the organ for the seat of emotion (heart). In Northwest Yoruba and Standard Yoruba, this term semantically shifted to "liver," while certain Yoruba dialects maintain the semantic meaning of ẹ̀dọ̀ "emotion, feeling." However, almost all Yoruba dialects refer to the heart organ as "ọkàn," suggesting that it was a Proto-Yoruba innovation, see Proto-Yoruba *ɔ-kã̀, with it likely not existing in Proto-Edekiri. Yoruba dialects like Southeast Yoruba not descended from Proto-Yoruba likely thus borrowed the word from nearby Proto-Yoruba speakers. Evidence of pre-Yoruba roots may be found in a possible cognate, Olukumi akan (“kidney”), suggesting the term may have been a general root for internal organs, in a similar fashion to the word fùkù.

Alternative forms

• ọkọ̀n (Ekiti, Owe)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔ̄.kã̀/

Noun

ọkàn

1. physical heart

   Synonym: ẹ̀dọ̀

   Ọkàn rẹ̀ ń lù pupuupu.

   Her heart was beating very quickly.

   • 2008 December 19, Yiwola Awoyale, Global Yoruba Lexical Database v. 1.0‎^[2], number LDC2008L03, Philadelphia: Linguistic Data Consortium, →DOI, →ISBN:

     Àrùn ọkàn ń dààmú-un wọn.

     They were suffering [from] a heart disease.

2. mind, psychological heart

   Mo ní in lọ́kàn pé mo máa lọ sí Ìbàdàn láti rí ọ̀rẹ́ mi.

   I had it in mind that I would go to Ibadan to see my friend.

   • 2008 December 19, Yiwola Awoyale, Global Yoruba Lexical Database v. 1.0‎^[3], number LDC2008L03, Philadelphia: Linguistic Data Consortium, →DOI, →ISBN:

     Ẹ̀rí ọkàn yóò máà jẹ́ wọn lọ títí láé.

     Their conscience will continue to prick them forever.

3. bravery

   Synonyms: àyà, ìgboyà

   • 2008 December 19, Yiwola Awoyale, Global Yoruba Lexical Database v. 1.0‎^[4], number LDC2008L03, Philadelphia: Linguistic Data Consortium, →DOI, →ISBN:

     Ọkùnrin yìí lọ́kàn láti dúró de ẹkùn

     This man was courageous to have stood in the way of a tiger.

4. thought

   Ọkàn gbọgbẹ́

   To be very depressed

   • 1997, Sachnine Michika, Dictionnaire usuel yorùbá-français suivi d'un index français-yorùbá (overall work in French), Ibadan, Nigeria: Éditions Karthala and IFRA-Ibadan, →ISBN, page 220:

     Ọkàn mi wà ní ibòmíràn.

     My thoughts are elsewhere.

Derived terms

• ajẹmọ́-ìṣẹ́-ọkàn (“psychological”)

Descendants

→ Lucumí: okán

Etymology 4

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔ̄.kã̄/

Noun

ọkan

1. Uapaca guineensis (red-cedar, rikio, sugar-plum)

Etymology 5

ọkan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔ̄.kã̄/

Noun

ọkan

1. Cylicodiscus gabunensis, a mimosa-like tree

Etymology 6

ọkán

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔ̄.kã́/

Noun

ọkán

1. Kinkeliba, of west Africa, a shrub with leaves used in traditional medicine.

References

• Awoyale, Yiwola (2008 December 19) Global Yoruba Lexical Database v. 1.0‎^[5], number LDC2008L03, Philadelphia: Linguistic Data Consortium, →DOI, →ISBN
• Gbile, Z. O. (1984) Vernacular Names of Nigerian Plants (in Yoruba), Ibadan, Nigeria: Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria
• Michika, Sachnine (1997) Dictionnaire usuel yorùbá-français suivi d'un index français-yorùbá (in French), Ibadan, Nigeria: Éditions Karthala and IFRA-Ibadan, →ISBN, page 220
• Verger, Pierre Fatumbi (1997) Ewé: The Use of Plants in Yoruba Society, Sāo Paulo: Companhia das Latras, page 774