These 7 Yoruba words are actually from Arabic (You use No 2 everyday)

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Most of the Yoruba words used are gotten from other languages. Below are some words in the Yoruba language which have their route in Arabic. Below are some examples as gotten from a book titled ‘On Arabic Loans in Yoruba’.

It was written by Professor Sergio Baldi, a well-regarded Italian linguist, who presented it at the Annual Conference on African Linguistics in California, USA, in March 1995.

1. Abere

This is the Yoruba word for ‘needle’ and it is from the Arabic “ai-bra,” which also means needle.

2. Adura

This is the Yoruba word for prayers and it is derived from the Arabic ‘du’a’, which also means prayers.

3. Alubosa

This is the Yoruba word for ‘onion’ and it was borrowed from the Hausa ‘albasa’, which in turn borrowed it from the Arabic ‘al-basal’.

Yoruba words have some roots in Arabic

4. Alufa/Alfa

This is the word used for a Muslim scholar. It is derived from the Arabic “khalifah,” which means a “successor” or a “representative” (of the prophet of Islam).

It was first corrupted to “Alfa” by the Songhai who later exported their version of the word to western and central Nigeria—and to other parts of West Africa.

5. Atele/Itele

It is the word for ‘following’ in Yoruba, and it is derived from ‘at-talin’, which also means ‘following’ in Arabic.

6. Anfani

This is the Yoruba word for ‘utility’ or ‘importance’ also occurs in Hausa, Batonu, and many northern and central Nigerian languages. It is derived from the Arabic ‘naf’, which means ‘advantage, profit’.

7. Asiri

Asiri is the word for ‘secret’ in Yoruba and it is derived from the Arabic ‘as-sirr’ where it also means ‘secret’.

Watch a ZENITHBLOG.com video of Yoruba people protecting the Hausa during a crisis below:

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