mwalimu
English
Etymology
Noun
mwalimu (plural mwalimus or walimu)
- A teacher in parts of Africa.
- 2006, Thomas Riggs, Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices: Countries A-L:
- Drawing on their African heritage, many Comorians also consult mwalimus or fundi (medicine men and astrologers learned in the use of sacred texts and knowledge) and marabouts (holy men) for divination, healing, and protection from evil […]
Swahili
Alternative forms
- (abbreviation) Mwl.
Etymology
From Arabic مُعَلِّم (muʕallim, “teacher”).[1]
Pronunciation
Audio (Kenya): (file)
Noun
mwalimu class I (plural walimu class II or waalimu class II)
- teacher
- mwalimu mwandamizi ― senior teacher
Usage notes
- In Tanzania, it was used as a title for Julius Nyerere and often abbreviated as Mwl.
See also
References
- ^ Baldi, Sergio (30 November 2020), Dictionary of Arabic Loanwords in the Languages of Central and East Africa (Handbuch der Orientalistik; Erste Abteilung: Der Nahe und der Mittlere Osten; 145), Leiden • Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 214 Nr. 1925