Reconstruction:Proto-Yoruboid/ó-ɓũ

This Proto-Yoruboid entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Yoruboid

Etymology

Because salt in its current form was first found in the sand dunes of the Sahara desert in the 12th century AD, this term almost certainly did not refer to modern salt (Proto-Yoruboid broke into its descendant branches around the 5th century BCE). Instead, it may have referred to minerals used by the Proto-Yoruboid people that were perhaps mined along the banks of the Niger river, or traded by other groups. Minerals like rock salt or halite are still commonly used in many African cuisines, where the modern term kán-ún, coming from Hausa, refers to potash.

Compare with Oko-Eni-Osayen òbú, Ayere owû, Àhàn oû, Ukaan ohuin. Perhaps related to Nupe èbǔ, Edo umwen

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ó.ɓũ̄/

Noun

*ó-ɓũ

1. a salt-like seasoning likely related to halite or rock salt

Descendants

• Ifè: oŋu
• Igala: ómu
• Olukumi: ówún
• Owe Yoruba: oghun
• Ede Idaca: owun