mlambagombe

Tonga (Malawi)

Etymology

From m- (“Contracted class 3 noun prefix”) +‎ lamba (“to wander, to roam”) +‎ gombe (“"curve" - from -gombetara (“to be curved”)”). Altogether, "the Wandering/Roaming Curve", probably in reference to the appearance of the Milky Way from earth (i.e. the Milky Way's spiral appears to be wandering/roaming across the night sky).

Noun

mlambagombe class 3

  1. The Milky Way.

References

  • William Y. Turner (1996) Tumbuka/Tonga-English and English - Tumbuka/Tonga Dictionary‎[1], Central Africana Limited, pages 61, 229

Tumbuka

Etymology

Borrowed from Tonga (Malawi) mlambagombe (“the Milky Way”)

Noun

mlambagombe class 3 (plural milambagombe class 4)

  1. galaxy.
    Synonym: mlalang'amba

References

  • From the Wikipedia page linked above.
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