Entries | Sengwer Living Dictionary

Entries

ōōndiiryo— boil
yoot— remove teeth ritually (e.g. when a child does not open its mouth or as a sign of adulthood)
taach— receive with open hands, welcome somebody
muustēē— imitate, mimick
kipkeeyaa— selfish person
kiptōōyoo— grown calf or child who is still suckling
nunaat— rotten
syaari— club with round head
sokorkeet— plant that grows on other trees no root (from sokor: jump) (possibly Englerina woodfordioides)
kipseengeeng— mentally retarded person
uy— shoo! go away!
Nyōōngi— third age-set for men
opuch— turn container upside down
ārusin— greyness
sukus— urine, pee
chēēsowoor— child born with legs first
piit— sprout, germinate
chēēplōklōktē— rambler, chatterbox, babbler
atkoonye— yesterday
tutuny— heel
miing’aat— deaf
am mbuy— work oneself up to fight (lit. eat anger)
parsinda— brother-in-law or sister-in-law (for the wife) (potentially from Maasai sindani 'sister-in-law')
lēēmu— without horns (of cows)
tiriiryoo— post (in construction)
kaayoot— sweating (from yoot: sweat)
machakaryaa— great-grandchild
tereryaa— flying termite
ōylyoo— cow with low fertility
ring— closing tightly
liimō— grazing field
kipyuukuuk— owl
kēērchii— ambush, visit unannounced
chēēpiiywo— mad person
wēēro— boy
koroti— blood
kuut— mouth
kuchkuuch— gulp
tookilkiil— jaw
tiin— branch used for drying meat
kepepcha— wing
swooldēē— kick away
ng’ii— pull elastic, stretch
sim— to be just before, to be early, to be already
kipuukē— hurricane
chaat— thigh of animals or men, haunch
kiimnon— ability
anyiny— sweet, tasty
saap— bag, pocket
Kaapchēēporoorwo— Sengwer people found Chēēporoorwo through Yemit and Cheesingey to Sitōōtōōn (combined with Kimaala to form one dialect)
muul— insult
kuch kuch— sound of gulping down a liquid
kipkeres— orange climber (Toddalia asiatica)
sokoomo— clan of the Sokoom clan
sēēkē-iin— investigator or spy
pal— dig (a hole)
towoonnyoo— lastborn
ākwoo— expression of appreciation
miindiliilyaa— Abyssinian gooseberry
maraakyaa— bean
siityēē— plain brown (often of cattle coat, without any spots)
chēēmukulēyoo— sensitive person (especially someone who cries easily)
kiiyoot— sweat (from yoot: sweat)
oriit— in(side)
kaayna— name
cheemakwiilyaa— someone who can not let go of things (from kwil: withhold)
neyet— wall
kēchii— align, fit
kaamuuy— place for drying or selling cow skin
kwek— 1. very hot (of the sun) 1. hot tempered (of a person)
morkōōkyoo— tree species (unknown)
mbuy— psyching up, readiness to fight
sālānuut— song of praise from a girl to her father
nyaaluul— become weak
kat— expression for bitter taste
mōsiinnyoo— person who lives alone
sopoon— life
tinyē— have, posses
tursyēn— be full of smoke or produce a lot of smoke
sootyoo— man of the Sooti clan
suut— spray
mukus— maroon (often cattle coat)
katoorkoy araawa— full moon
ng'inng'in— worn-out (almost ripping)
payta— rule
pēēruur— bless
lēēkit— near, close to
roop— walk along something
chuumnyoo— man of the Chuumō age-set
kipkooymētyoo— man of the Kipkooymēt age-set
kwāā-uut— one step (as a measurement)
kirkir— block off the escape and surround
kēēmooy— night
siinapcha— patch
kasaat— heard
oorti— clothes for initiate girls
king— full from eating
sirkoon— preserve meat by drying it
chēēpōlkōsyoo— inciter, person who causes disputes
ng’waalng’waal— weave
pēēlyoo— elephant
saptee— walk carefully, sneak, creep up on somebody
wāāwēēs— atmosphere
ng’aaween— vulgar words, swearwords
naaynaay— to tie around (several times)
tiim— kick very hard, pierce
kiiloot— strong
mōsōkōryoo— cob
ānō— where
kir— to avoid a taboo
wiiraat— compact, dense
keet— tree, trunk
chit— jumping very tense
parta siiya— set up (people) (lit. push your nails into someone)
iya— maybe
takalyaandi— immorality, taboo-ness
im— in, on
mbuus— breathe
kenyela— oribi (Ourebia ourebi)
raandee— spill
asta— subside (of pain, head, rain, sun)
kerwang— skull
mēliil sēkuut— serval (Leptailurus serval)
kēēysō— woo-ing
puryoong’tēē— cast away spirits
kipooreet— firstborn
ng’oor— foretell, predict
rarach— shed leaves (also used for miscarriage)
njoor— traditional sheep and calves pen
roo— see
kimng'iirkiich— Tacazzea (Tacazzea apiculata)
nung’nuk— meat or fat at the back of the neck
cheesumbele— dancing and singing done in the afternoon
lele— beauty, luxury
chēēptulōōn— medicinal herb (unknown)
tyēē— girl (child)
Mooy po Sēērēy— Calf of Sērēēy (mythological creature: a giant calf or human with a big single eye like a moon) it is associated to a song
sat— organize, rearrange, repair
wākiip taay— February
liip— slurp, choke on a liquid, snort
pukat— beautiful, pretty (for women)
chis— bright, sharp
chēēmitiingi— sheep without ears
ēwooryoo— white fine clay
syōch— shake once, flick
kiptiliny— middle pole on a traditional house
kipseemseemnyaa— nosy person
tēkyii keey— walk toward, head towards
kāā-iimuut— stress (from iim: be stressed)
ng'eeleeley— nickname for a person with light eyes
mil— burden
weektee— return to someone
tulwo— mountain, hill
ng'ooch— put tribal marks (scarification)
rāru— narrate, explain
kiptong’tong— structural roof ring
āng’uurwo— Spurflower
lōōsiin— tree with berry (could be tassel-berry tree)
kēsyēp— roof, ceiling
lupaalup— become nauseous (after eating)
lēēlin— whiteness
piyoo— excrements, feces
kimeertat— tree hyrax, tree dassie (Dendrohyrax dorsalis)
kenen— filter, sieve
mit— suck on (food or tobacco)
Tērik— a Sengwer clan (totems: roop, rain; ilaat, thunder; pēlyoo, elephant; kipleekwa, rabbit)
uumbē— very thick forest
mēsindon— to be overwhelmed
yeech— dawn
kaaykaay— comfort
chēēpokaap tōōsō— woman of the Tōōsō clan
chōpōōny— be disrespectful (to an elder)
alaat— bought
nayaat— known
siimta— walk out (anger)
rōōtwoop chōōk— dagger
raara— used in requests, e.g. ‘Can we…’ ‘can you…’
kaaptuum— place of ceremony
pusuyoo— bedbug
taanguruurwo— buffalo thorn (Ziziphus mucronata)
mukuut— flood
chēēpirkoorook— tree species with red bark (unknown)
ngā— whether
kaapcheepaangar— space between furniture pieces or edges
ng’etyi ma— to have a fever (lit. fire has broken out)
kipsiich— eagle
kēn— mortar
kētyii— repeat, return to
mēto— leave
wēloo po— around that time/place, approximately
sekeryaa— tree (possibly African holly, Ilex miti)
kiptuyoongu— upper arm
rāāk— be full of liquid to the brim
kipkurkur— bell anklet
waayta— to do something in secret (very quickly)
pusaat— mature, dry (of a surface)
was— look for, search
chirkēlwo— common spike-thorn (possibly Maytenus heterophylla)
tōōs— particle introducing a question
ng’alaal— talk, speak

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