kĩiniĩ gĩtaita

Lit., “something upside down without leaking”; According to Benson (1964), kĩnya (“gourd”) precedes this phrase in some cases then entire meaning is “an upside-down gourd which does not leak.”

A riddle whose solution is mũkamo wa ng'ombe “cow's udder”; another solution is kĩnya.

A fool who does not make use of an obvious opportunity.


ĩta

Njĩtagwo...


mũna

Hutchins (1909) records m'Ona as a Kikuyu name for Chrysophyllum sp.).

muna (Pouteria adolfi-friedericii, syn. Aningeria adolfi-friedericii); yields timber.


mũthegethe

mĩthegethe (plural)
musigethe (alternative)

/mòðɛ̀ɣɛ̀ðɛ́/

canary-bird bush, birdflower, lion's claw, rattlebox (Crotalaria agatiflora)


ndereba

/ⁿdɛ̀ɾɛ̀βáꜜ/


mĩhang'o

Derived from kũhang'a (“to be busy with many things to do”).

odd timewasting jobs, busy activity of any kind


mũembe

Mangifera indica
Mangifera indica#Translingual


mũũnyũ

Hinde (1904) records munyu as an equivalent of English salt in “Jogowini dialect” of Kikuyu, listing also Kamba munyu and Swahili munyo as its equivalents.


-thaka

mũthaka (class-2 singular)
athaka (class-2 plural)
mũthaka (class-4 singular)
mĩthaka (class-4 plural)
rĩthaka (class-6 singular)
mathaka (class-6 plural)
gĩthaka (class-8 singular)
thaka (class-8 plural)
thaka (class-10 singular)
thaka (class-10 plural)
rũthaka (class-10 singular)
gathaka (class-13 singular)
tũthaka (class-13 plural)
mũthaka (class-6 singular)
gũthaka (class-6 singular)
hathaka (class-16 singular)

mũirĩtu mũthaka ahĩtũkagĩra thome wa ngĩa


rũbutu

Holonym: ũthiũ


mũthee

/mò.ðɛ́.ɛ́ꜜ/

honorific used for males older than a speaker and also for speaker's father especially in absent


icoya

icoya rĩa ihĩndu


njũragano

njũragano (plural)
mbũragano (alternative)

/ᶮd͡ʑòɾáɣànɔ̀ꜜ/


ikia ngono

to arrest, to lay one's hands on, to give one's hands on


riboti

riboti (plural)
roboti (alternative)
rĩboti (alternative)

/ɾìβɔ́ːtì(ꜜ)/


ngucanio

/ᵑɡùːɕániɔ́ꜜ/

Derived from a verb kũgucia (“to pull”).


mũtaratara

/mòtàɾátàɾáꜜ/

order, plan, method of activity, procedure


-iyũru

mũiyũru (class-2 singular)
aiyũru (class-2 plural)
mũiyũru (class-4 singular)
mĩiyũru (class-4 plural)
rĩiyũru (class-6 singular)
maiyũru (class-6 plural)
kĩiyũru (class-8 singular)
njiyũru (class-8 plural)
njiyũru (class-10 singular)
njiyũru (class-10 plural)
rũiyũru (class-10 singular)
kaiyũru (class-13 singular)
tũiyũru (class-13 plural)
mũiyũru (class-6 singular)
kũiyũru (class-6 singular)
haiyũru (class-16 singular)


inagu

Solanum nigrum
Solanum nigrum#Translingual

black nightshade (Solanum nigrum); its leaves have been traditionally regarded as edible.


kũhũra maaĩ na ndĩrĩ

to flog a dead horse (lit. to pound water with a mortar)


mũthithe

mĩthithe (plural)
muthithi (alternative)
mũthithĩi (alternative)

African sandalwood (Osyris lanceolata, syn. O. abyssinica)


Gĩkũyũ

→ English: Kikuyu

kwaria Gĩkũyũ


thumu

manure, fertilizer, obtained chiefly from cattle or sheep dung


irũngo

/ìɾòᵑɡɔ̀(ꜜ)/


ririkania

Causative form of kũririkana (“to remember”).


rũmĩrĩra

kũrũmĩrĩra watho


biacara

biacara (canonical class-10 class-9)
biacara (canonical class-14)
biacara (plural)
mabiacara (plural)
mbiacara (alternative)

kũhũra biacara


kenda mũiyũru

/kɛ́ⁿdáꜜ moìjóɾù(ꜜ)/

kenda (“nine”) + mũ- (“adjectival prefix: Class 14”) + -iyũru (“full”), thus “full nine”.


mũringathinga

ki-noun

mũringathinga class 3 (plural mĩringathinga)

mĩringathinga (plural)
muringazika (alternative)

/mòɾìᵑɡáðìŋɡáꜜ/

Mussaenda microdonta subsp. odorata (syn. M. odorata); tree or shrub of the family Rubiaceae


mũrera-kĩĩmbu

mũrera-kĩĩmbu class 3 (plural mĩrera-kĩĩmbu)

mĩrera-kĩĩmbu (plural)
murera-kimbu (alternative)

/mòɾɛ̀ɾà(ꜜ)keèᵐbú/

mũ- (“[CLASS 3]”) + kũrera (“to rear”) + kĩĩmbu (“chameleon”).

Canthium oligocarpum subsp. friesiorum (syn. Rytigynia friesiorum), shrub or tree species of the family Rubiaceae


mũtĩ-mũirũ

mĩtĩ-mũirũ (plural)
mutimuiro (alternative)
mutimuiru (alternative)
muti-muiru (alternative)

/mòtě moìɾóꜜ/

Galiniera saxifraga (syn. G. coffeoides); shrub or tree of the family Rubiaceae

shrub or tree species of the genus Turraea (Meliaceae)


ndete

ndete (plural)
gatete (class-12 diminutive)
ndiiti (alternative)

species of warbler, especially grass warbler


kĩmera

/kèmɛ̀ɾà(ꜜ)/

Derived from kũmera (“to germinate, to sprout”).

irio cia kĩmera


gaturumo

/ɣàtùɾúmɔ̀(ꜜ)/


kang'aurũ

/kà.ŋà.ú.ɾóꜜ/


nyamaria

Causative form of kũnyamara (“to suffer”).

2001, John Kamenyi Wahome, Mũkiingo: (HIV-AIDS) Na Mĩrimũ Ĩngĩ Ĩrĩa Yanathĩĩnia Rũũrĩrĩ Rwitũ, Jemisik Cultural Books, p. 20.
Naguo waarĩ ũmwe wa mĩrimũ ya kũnyamaaria ngoothi ya mũũndũ o hamwe na kũreehe ruo rũingĩ.
It [Chickenpox (mũthandũkũ)] was one of the diseases of plaguing human skin even together with bringing much pain.

to inflict suffering upon, to afflict, to distress, to plague, to pester, to persecute, to worry


mũbaage

Meronym: (seeds) mbaage

Mauritius thorn (Biancaea decapetala, syn. Caesalpinia decapetala, C. sepiaria); native to Asia, but naturalized to Kenya for a very long time; traditionally used for hedge.


thabai

Gĩkũyũ Gĩkũyũ

A species of nettle, Urtica massaica Mildbr.; leaves traditionally used as vegetable among Gĩkũyũ people.


mbaage

Fruit and seeds of plants of species Biancaea decapetala (Mauritius thorn) (mũbaage); seeds were used for divination.


nyaigĩ

Hard crystalline stone, granite used as scraping stones and burnishing weapons.