Entries | Sengwer Living Dictionary

Entries

sur— bite
yeet keey— defend oneself
kwaanii— mine
peseng— rope used to bind the beehive halves together
cheerongo— West
Kaapteetakee— Sengwer dialect found in Kapenguria
nyikiisin— heaviness
kipchuchuka— colender
kāpuuy— 1. turn container upside down 2. put a lid on
Kipliimō— name for a boy in the grazing field
long'ony— suspect
murkutut— lumps of flour in the dough
Kipiwoot— name for a boy born during the rainy season
chiichak— only one person
luumchii— 1. wrap for 2. surround for
chēēpoosiit— turaco sp.
turoon— leftovers after harvest
mbir— yearn, sing to attract girls
tangilil— glossy
tuum— sing and dance, celebrate
sokool— nine
mēēnjo— house for circumcised boys
nyapnyaap— squish, crush
kimēērēēwo— 1. climbing plant with red flowers (unknown) 2. beautiful bird with black and red feathers
wuy— somewhere
las keey— feel good about oneself
sukut— salt water
singilda— spit (through your teeth)
kulkul— armpit
muurmēt— hillside
ng’uung’ul— move water around in mouth
kwaaytee— stalk (walk carefully and quietly)
kwil— keep quiet!
kookoorwo— Coral tree (Erythrina abyssinica)
kooloomēy— tools used for drilling holes, beehives and also for naming rituals
itaakaat— You are welcome (singular)
chiil— to cause irritation in the eyes (by smoke, tear gas, onions, etc.)
kukēny— again
kawiir makal— mentally retarded person (euphemism; lit. he was hit by a ram)
chiitaap ng'echer— chair-person
munyaawa— bell anklet (ankle)
rēk— descend, come down from
saannyaa— suiter
raap— dance (traditional)
kin— patch
kipsukus— bladder
keelda— tooth
nyit— identify
naarya— wreath, crown made of flowers
katkaat— irritate (of the throat)
Kipsaang— name for a boy that was born outside
piinyiinyaa— leech
Tamining— old name for a girl that was small during circumcision (given after initiation)
mii tōkōl— to be together
sālāāmwo— disabled person (born with a deformity)
melel— thirst
tikēn— make spasming sounds during the throes of death (the intense convulsions and struggle of a person close to dying)
kōōnjōryoo— leprosy
Kipchiirchiir— name for a boy born with a very short labour
muutyo— sorry
iitēē— spread and stretch (bedsheet, legs, paper)
nēmuu— take (for yourself)
nyi— (it is ___) that
Lēēlkiina— name for a cow that has white udders
mindiliilwo— Abyssinian gooseberry tree
kwaanykwaany— cook ugali quickly, disturb (idiom.)
perkeeyaa— virgin woman
Kangōōkō— name for a boy or a girl born when the grandmother just arrived (from kany kōōkō "wait grandmother")
samak— hunt (for bees)
taalamwa— grasshopper
cheeptopookwo— millipede
puupuny— suffocate
ng’aal— 1. deceive 2. go around
parpar— screw, make small hole
silaayta— flour made with green immature grain
Wāki— dry season between (Jan-Mar)
poor— achieve, obtain
iyōō— mother
kipchōri— small house used by elders for discussion
kōchōōng’nyo— act of being disrespectful, bad-mannered
siirmōōy— agitation
kipchiik— bicep
ak— and
karaamiit— make good, improve
tiiriir— fly (birds and planes)
kimurtooyoo— cross
kāāpuukyoo— broom, brush
kipung’pung— drum
kipkōōrōōs— regional rainfall (not seasonal)
yaach— ask for debt
cheemnapis— hut for teenage boys (before circumcision) within the homestead
sōrōō— goat and sheep dung
tiyēē keey— depend on
kiil— to be strong
nukēywoo— dots
Kimayo— name for a child born when men were drinking traditional mead
pulpul— 1. make a small space with hands (maybe a shelter to hide or a hole in a wall to steal) 1. come out of a spring (of water)
sikēn— honeycomb full of honey
apay— lactating, pregnant (of a cow)
wunuk— twist (a limb)
anii— I, me (1ps)
paw— sound of splitting firewood
ng’arng’ar— tender
tuupchē— sibling
sich— give birth, get (human)
kaapkāānyāāysō— hospital
pōōr— body
kimēēlo— desert
ng’ālāālchii— address, talk to
ākāā-iisyō— herding
kēny— long time ago, ancient, past
kunuur— twisted
kipiiy— name for a boy born in the byre
rēkuu— come down
Kimisto— name for a boy who fainted or his mother fainted
cheepriir— something given because of sympathy
kōryong'ēn— clang
Kipyeeko— name for a boy that is born in the house
im muutyoonēēt— orderly
mnyaat— (be) very dangerous
roop— join ropes together
kaaman— sort out
turuungi— strong or black tea
parpa— placenta (animals)
terkekyaa— guinea fowl
nyiriir— to show disappointment or anger through facial expressions
poyiisyō— job, work, occupation
kimng'eenypany— canine tooth (literally 'meat-tearer')
rir— dawn
muulsō— abusing
kāātōrng’ōōng’iin— grumbler (from torng’oony: complain loudly)
pārāāyin— 1. width 2. opportunity
tet— align, put in a line, arrange words, plan
suupsuup— become nauseous (after eating)
mariich— narrow
nun— rot
sōōmchoo— bachelor (not married man)
murot— crossing
mēēnot— snobbery, haughtiness
kaapyuukoy— in-laws
yemaat— enough, sufficed, sufficient
tes taay— proceed, continue
kichimi— spear (small)
pōōk— invade, swarm, ambush, raid
reeng'at— belittling
leleyaa— 1. person who likes dressing well using jewellery 2. wreath used for celebration
ng’utuut— kiss
leet— braid (e.g. rope or hair), weave
looywo— cross beam on floor of store
parkōōryo— pangolin (Smutsia temminckii)
peyesaat— relaxed
tung tung— sound of running in the night
nuch— 1. plug a hole 2. stamp 3. put a full stop 4. put a small thing somewhere
kwong'uut— wonder, miracle
ng'aalupchaa— immature sugar cane or maize stem (with a green unripe flavour)
chāriisyō— drawing blood from an animal
Kiptoorus— name for a boy born when there are boy initiates in the family
nyal— look up, gaze upwards
tērēryo— sunset spot
teender— unthread, pull out a thread, strand or string
ng’at— decide
aanwa— rope
siing— oesophagus
kipkōng’kōng— woodpecker (Picidae)
kimng’eng— bushbaby, galago
pukan— traditional string instrument
Kimng'ētuny— whose mother had a lot of miscarriages to sname for a boy used to scare away evil spirits, given during the tēkēriisyō ritual (from ng'ētuny: "lion")
koleeta— colender
Tapkuurkōōy— old name for a girl (given after initiation)
mēn— clay
ulul— dangerous rumour
pat— hoe, split
āmiin chepotisyaw— someone who eats excessively
arak— cow that usually miscarries
kaang’uung’taay— vomit
Taparnō— old name for a girl born during slaughtering (given after initiation)
kerpesyaa— grey tick
pooruu— show
ndōrōr— spider (Araneae)
punoot— exiled
tēpēē— stay, sit down
cheemeeryaa— girl initiate
waysan— hyperactive
puul— pull out, pluck
rapraap— clap repeatedly
kaarwalyaa— white hair
saktee— divert from the main path
rat moo-ēēt— toughen up (lit. to tie the stomach)
cheesalit— plant used for ink (unknown)
am lōkōōy— chat, tell stories
ara anyuun— so then
tē— put
takaar— to give special treatment
nyaangēy— the other one
āruus— grey (often of cattle coat)
chul— stir (usually used for making porridge)
kisōōcho— black nightshade (Solanum nigrum)
simnyoo— dirt (on the body or on clothes)
nooyo— unite
tōrōōmchoo— tree ladder

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