Entries | Sengwer Living Dictionary

Entries

riiree— have mercy on
mbar— farm
kiptarkoong— Sugarbush (Protea gaguedi)
chēēptiipi— bat-eared fox (Otocyon megalotis)
kāāndōōyiin— leader
suu— fall with a loud sound
sokor— jump
mit— bemoan, regret
ker iit— slap (lit. close the ears)
ng’ul— saliva, spit
kōōliin— farmer
muchi— be suitable, suit
lōōmuut— internal injury
kuyootēē— crawl around on
kipsiikeech— tree species (unknown)
kaykay— preferable, better
ryaambu— big traditional trumpet for celebration
leekyaa— bamboo shoot
ēēpuurwo— tree species (unknown)
yoos— old
ōōch— to make a wound hurt
kuuko— grandfather, old man
kaaraamnyaa— wasp
kaapōōnnyoo— man from the Kaapōōn clan
tombul— sound of something falling into water
puunyoo— enemy
mēē-uut— epilepsy
cheer— encourage, cheer up
kook kook— cluck cluck, sound of a chicken or hen
karin— piece of jewelley (p. jewellery)
iito— medicinal wood used to make charcoal to treat milk
nee— what!
chēēptiikoon— disease caused by eating too much sugar
mul— hit (with something heavy and big)
puus— breathe
kaambako— walking around, loitering
koorkēn— to be spoiled
iilaat— smeared
Kōrōōngōrē— seventh age-set of men
chēēpkoowoyoo— lazy person
koopan— traditional bellow with four pipes
yaach— charge fare, ask for debt repayment
yaamaat— dried up
luut— to have heartburn
mining— small, little
liiny— 1. be late 2. become evening
kimuumbē— heavy rains
sekemnyaa— bee (Apis mellifera)
kaaptōōlōōngwo— tree
suus— fry
nyapir— squeeze or press down on
kataap teket— pneumonia
keet keey— suicide, hang oneself
tepeesyaa— sole of the foot
taartaar— white clay
lach— 1. scatter seeds 2. giving the bad eye
pusyo— flour
sikon— wealthy person
chiit— slip
milmiil— roll
miin— lend an animal in order to beget a calf for a small price
muusar— porridge
lōō-in— distance
miindiliil— make sour
lēngu— store for milk calabash, bank
nyung’unyaa— earth, ground, soil
njaasat— snack (when very tired, waiting for meal)
tuulduul— red-cheeked cordon-bleu (Uraeginthus bengalus)
tetwa— planning, arranging
āsirwon— men cultural attire, light clothes used for hunting and collect honey
ruu kuut— sleep without food, fast (lit. sleep mouth)
sirkēnyoo— dry meat preserved in the traditional way
soot— village
kipaang’wa— snake (from 'rope': aanwa)
sip— very tense and straight (standing or jumping)
yoomot— violent cold wind
leetaat— woven
kwēloot— excluded
kipinōr— corner behind furniture
kiisich— tiny, very small
kaaptoorus— house for initiated boys
rōkōr— 1. short poles used to lock traditional granary 2. traditional big straw by men and old women
il— break
nyenyii— his, hers
kura— also
puuswaakyaa— rotten log
atam— fallow field
pēēsyoop oor— junction, crossroad
rēpēētoon— remains of milk in the calabash
muuny— take a break, pause, rest
ooyiin— ancestral spirit
tuuktee— 1. turn around, turn one’s back 2. give apology for someone who is not coming
Sooti— a Sengwer clan (totem: asiis, the sun)
kesaat— harvested
māāng’uu— hope
kitapu— book (from Swahili 'kitabu')
kich— stop, break
yāātiin— circumciser
kitoonge— open basket, basket
eekoon— day of the week
Rooptaap tēpēng’wo— rainy season (December–January)
tes— add
kaatee-o— cry for war, for help, for danger, for warning
tiinyoo— light clothes
ng’ir— go to the other side
lēē-u— encourage to come back (deceptively, with bad motives), lure back
kōōnu— give
kaamataalo— proverb, saying
chuut— pull
lalakyaa— soft reddish grass
murtuuy— dark grey or blue (often of cattle coat)
mutuus— blunt
nyoony— plant waste after weeding the farm
kipsiiroon— traditional needle
ng’ērēēp— manger
muul— sweeten the calabash
waang— badly cooked (of ugali)
achik— we, us
kipichaa— mosquito
paal— split in two, tear
sapit— porcupine
sōlōpchoo— cockroach
lumēywoo— sticks, droppers or posts used for fences or house
mwēy— flee, elope, run away
waakee— scold (a person)
kiplēngu— type of grass found in highlands (unknown)
tumbuldēē— immerse, submerge
ng’oomiin— clever person
murmur— dice, mince
ayep— anoint, bless
mwaaytee— report
pulyēēng— hole for water collection
chēēsiichēyoo— shrub (possibly succulent, Erythrococca fischeri)
murer— woman (after circumcision, newly married, ready for marriage)
lapat— run
naam— start
taaytaay— tie around (several times)
kuruur— tie a knot
kipsōōywo— cockrel
tāā-uunēē— start from
kurēēswo— Candelabra tree
wēliin tooko— up there
wēētii— will go
kipsumbay— python
kēsuwoo— seed
kipyōōngē— baboon (Papio)
tiilyoo pēy— sky blue, light blue (lit. blue water)
Chēēlyōng— fifth age-set for women
wep— very sharp
teenderyaa— pumpkin seeds
mukuulkupēēsyoo— man who died without getting married or having children (lit. whole thigh)
mōtōsyoo— Pavonia
sanayaa— bead
kāāmiinēyoo— animal that is lent for begetting a calf
luul— 1. fall down (for trees or houses) 2. die (in battle, idiom.)
tuum— give birth (human), deliver
pōōkit— get drunk
ker— close, shut
koosisiit— shiny leaf, dog wood, dark blinkblaar (Rhamnus prinoides possibly also staddo)
chisot— shyness
kuutung— knee
wusus— light, easy
kipirpō— star shaped wooden utensil for stirring ugali and porridge
par— kill
cheepkililii— quicksand
koyoyiin— day after tomorrow
kep— to perform female genital mutilation
kaaraan— dancing by jumping high (from ran: dance by jumping high)
yu— here
ur— 1. swarm (of bees), dance (of ladies) 2. be disorganized or chaotic
kweesta— ignore (with bad intention, not caring about what is being told)
litiisyō— sharpening
naamaat— iliyoashwa
riip— guard, take care
cheemuutwa— traditional straw (to serve guest)
kuryoo— small-fruited teclea (Vepris or Teclea nobilis)
ng’oom— clever
kaat— neck
ndoo-ee— go ahead of someone
mēsēwoo— heardsboy
uul keey— boast
waare— honeycomb with larva
pus— dry
yōōtiisyō— ritual to remove teeth
uusya— lap
saayna— traditional shelf over the fireplace
tērmuus— crush with teeth
kong— very hard
wawach— stir or mix with hands (especially of grains)
teelkeemwa— steep hillside
lut— pick, harvest (grain which is ready)
misaamis— disease of children with itchy watery boils at the joints
musukyoo— log
siirē— clothing with beads used when initiates have healed
leelmasat— tree or plant species (unknown)
Kimaala— Sengwer dialect of the Embobut area
ēēsē— malaria
eepooryaa— False assegai
lēplēp— lukewarm, tepid
kāārōōn— early morning

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