hwai
Shona
Etymology
Uncertain, but potentially from a Khoe language (compare Nama gū-i). Other Bantu languages borrowed this in the form *-gu, for example Sotho nku and Zulu imvu.
Noun
hwai class 9 (plural hwai class 10)
- sheep
Alternative forms
- gwai (Karanga, Manyika)
References
- Ehret, Christopher (1968), “Sheep and Central Sudanic Peoples in Southern Africa”, in The Journal of African History, volume 9, issue 2, pages 213–221