raffia

English

raffia fibers from the species Raphia vinivera

Alternative forms

• rafia, raphia, rofia (obsolete)

Etymology

From Malagasy rafia or rofia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹæfiə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æfiə

Noun

raffia (countable and uncountable, plural raffias)

1. A fibrous material used for tying plants, originating from the leaves of raffia palm trees (genus Raphia).
   • 1958, Saul Bellow, Henderson the Rain King:

     He was pressed against the canes and raffia of which this old house was built.

Translations

fibrous material

• Bulgarian: рафия f (rafija)
• Catalan: ràfia
• Cerma: tɔrru
• Dutch: raffia (nl)
• Esperanto: rafio
• Greek: ραφία f (rafía), (informal) ράφια f (ráfia)
• Indonesian: rafia (id)
• Italian: rafia m
• Malagasy: raofia (mg)
• Portuguese: ráfia (pt) f
• Serbo-Croatian: rafija (sh)
• Spanish: rafia (es)

Raphia sudanica

• Akaha: kɔrɔ
• Ashe: ikoi
• Bafanji: ŋkyɛ
• Cerma: kartũŋgu
• Hausa: gwangwala
• Ibani: kɔ́rɔ́
• Ifè: ìko
• Ikizu: ʉmʉware
• Karekare: gwangwala
• Kasem: nanyuŋə tiu
• Kirya: gùlə̀və̀
• Lela: kè̱nbè̱
• Nawdm: kpaat
• Okordia: kɔ́rɔ́
• Tal: kwaigat

Raphia vinifera

Anagrams

• affair