hwai

See also: Hwai

Shona

Etymology

Uncertain, but potentially from a Khoe language (compare Khoekhoe gū-i). Other Bantu languages borrowed this in the form *-gu, for example Sotho nku and Zulu imvu.

Noun

hwai class 9 (plural hwai class 10)

sheep

Alternative forms

gwai (Karanga, Manyika)

References

Ehret, Christopher (1968) “Sheep and Central Sudanic Peoples in Southern Africa”, in The Journal of African History, volume 9, number 2, pages 213–221