akpe

Ewe

Etymology

From Proto-Gbe *-kpɛ́.[1] Cognates include Fon akpɛ́, Gun akpɛ́, Saxwe Gbe akpɛ́, Gen akpé, Adja akpé and Yoruba dúpẹ. The shift in meaning from “thanks” to “thousand” likely stems from gratitude being metaphorically linked to magnitude. Similar words for “thousand” can also be found in Akan apem and Ga akpei.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /à.k͡pé/

Noun

àkpé (definite singular àkpé lá or àkpéá, plural àkpéwó, definite plural àkpéáwó)

  1. thanks
  2. thousand

Interjection

àkpé

  1. thank you, thanks

References

  1. ^ Capo, Hounkpati B.C. (1991) A Comparative Phonology of Gbe (Publications in African Languages and Linguistics; 14), Berlin/New York, Garome, Benin: Foris Publications & Labo Gbe (Int), page 223
  • Westermann, Dietrich Verfasser (1905) “akpe”, in Wörterbuch der Ewe-Sprache [Dictionary of the Ewe language]‎[1] (in German), Berlin: Dietrich Reimer, section I, pages 289-290
  • Jim-Fugar, Dr. M.K.N., Jim-Fugar, Nicholine (2017) “akpe”, in Nuseline's Ewe-English Dictionary, 1st edition, Togo: Independently published, →ISBN, page 18
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