-liwa

Swahili

Etymology

What are now vowel-final verb stems originally had an -l-, which resurfaces whenever a suffix is added. The rule was then extended to borrowed words by analogy.

Suffix

-liwa (mid vowel harmony variant -lewa)

1. Alternative form of -wa used in nonderived verbs ending in -ia or -ea, as well as any verb ending in -aa, -au, -oa, -ua, or -uu

   ‎-tia (“to put”) + ‎-liwa → ‎-tiliwa (“to be put”)

   ‎-pokea (“to receive”) + ‎-lewa → ‎-pokelewa (“to be received”)

   ‎-sahau (“to forget”) + ‎-liwa → ‎-sahauliwa (“to be forgotten”)

Derived terms

• Swahili passive verbs