ugha

Edo

Etymology

Cognate with Yoruba ùghà, Proto-Yoruboid *ʊ̀-ɣà

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ù.ɣà/

Noun

ùghà

1. room
2. a quadrangle courtyard in the palace of the Ọba of the Benin kingdom, historically, it served as the burial ground of the king and shrine dedicated to past monarchs

Yoruba

Alternative forms

• ụ̀à (Èkìtì)
• ùwà (Oǹdó)
• ìgà

Etymology

Cognate with Edo ùghà, Itsekiri ùghà, probably ultimately from Proto-Edekiri *ʊ̀-ɣà, but also possibly an Edo loan word. Also see Proto-Yoruba *ʊ̀-ɣà. The palace of the Oba of Lagos is known as ìgà, which may suggest this term is likely an Edo term, perhaps borrowed into Proto-Edekiri or a later stage of Yoruba.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ù.ɣà/

Noun

ùghà

1. (Ọwọ, Ondo) royal courtyard (in particular) the up to 100 courtyards of the palace (àghọ̀fẹn) of Ọ̀ghọ̀, each dedicated to an òrìṣà with its own purpose, as well as the courtyards of the (àghọ̀fẹn) of Oǹdó

Derived terms

• Ùghà Èdùmà

Further reading

• J.B Falade Yoruba Palace Gardens[1], 1990
• Fọlárànmí, Stephen Palace Courtyards in Iléṣà: A Melting Point of Traditional Yorùbá Architecture [2], 2018