iyawo
Yoruba
editAlternative forms
edit- ị̀yàwó (Ekiti)
Etymology
editA Folk etymology suggests it is from ìyà (“suffering, punishment”) + Ìwó (“Iwo town”), literally “The suffering I experienced in Ìwó town”. The story originates from several verses of the odù Ifá chapter Ogbèyọ̀nú, in which the orisha Ọ̀rúnmìlà married a woman in the town of Ìwó and she proceeds to mistreated him severely, yet he still maintained his patience.
Pronunciation
editNoun
editìyàwó
- (dated) junior wife; (the other wives in a polygamous marriage not the senior wife)
- Antonym: ìyáálé
- (by extension) wife