mwe

Kikuyu

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-mòì.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /mwɛ/

Adjective

mwe

one
mũndũ ũmwe ― a person

ũndũ ũmwe na ― the same thing as^[1]
(with plural) some
andũ amwe ― some of the people

Inflection

agreement of mwe

	Singular	Plural
Class 1, Class 2	ũmwe	amwe
Class 3, Class 4	ũmwe	ĩmwe
Class 5, Class 6	rĩmwe	mamwe
Class 7, Class 8	kĩmwe	imwe
Class 9, Class 10	ĩmwe	imwe
Class 11, Class 10	rũmwe	imwe
Class 12, Class 13	kamwe	tũmwe
Class 14, Class 6	ũmwe	mamwe
Class 15, Class 6	kũmwe	mamwe
Class 16	hamwe	-

Derived terms

hamwe (“together”)

(Proverbs)

References

^ “-mwe” in Benson, T.G. (1964). Kikuyu-English dictionary, p. 269. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Luba-Kasai

Numeral

mwe

one

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Anglo-Norman mue.

Noun

mwe

Alternative form of mewe (“cage”)

Etymology 2

From Old French muer.

Verb

mwe

Alternative form of mewen (“to moult”)

Rwanda-Rundi

**Rwanda-Rundi cardinal numbers**
	1	2 >
Cardinal : mwe Ordinal : a mbere

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-mòì.

Adjective

-mwé

one

Derived terms

ubumwe (“unity”)
kumwe (“together”)
hamwe (“together”)
kimwe (“the same”)

Shona

**Shona cardinal numbers**
	1	2 >
Cardinal : mwe Ordinal : chiposhi Adverbial : kamwe

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-mòì.

Adjective

-mwé

one
(placed before a noun) other, another

Inflection

Inflected forms of -´mwé

singular			plural
Class 1		múmwe, úmwe	Class 2		vámwé
Class 3		múmwé	Class 4		mímwé
Class 5		rímwé	Class 6		mámwé
Class 7		chímwé	Class 8		zvímwé
Class 9		ímwé	Class 10		dzímwé
Class 11		rúmwé
Class 12		kámwe	Class 13		túmwé
Class 14		úmwé
Class 15		kúmwé
Locative classes
Class 16	pámwé	Class 17	kúmwé	Class 18	múmwé

Note: the class 1 form úmwé is normally used in the Manyika dialects.

Derived terms

kamwe (“at once”)
pamwe (“together”)
zvimwe (“perhaps”)

Swahili

Verb

mwe

second-person plural subjunctive affirmative of -wa

[1] “-mwe” in Benson, T.G. (1964). Kikuyu-English dictionary, p. 269. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

[1]