ettovu.
-yo, -mu, -wo. ba becomes baa- before such an addition, mbaako kye njogera, if 1 have something to say (note that this does not imply physical pos ses s ion as is often the case when -na is suffexed to -li), abo abanaabaawo enkya, those who will be present tomorrow. Bwe walibaamu amazzi mu mugga, tulivuba. If there is water in the river we will fish. Taliimu. He is stupid or He is not at home.
o- (bu/-) fluffy substance resembling cotton often used for stuffing mattresses and pillows; the plant from which this substanceis obtained, cf. olufumbo.
o- adv. at a high price, dearly; fiercely (nkanu is more frequently used in this sense), cf. kanuka, enkanu.
be lacking, lack; be at a loss for; lose. Yabulwa eky' okuddamu. He was at a loss for an answer. Nnali siyinza kubulwa ddoboozi lye. I could not be mistaken about/fail to recognize his voice. Bwe yamunoonya n'abulwa n' agenda. When he looked for him without success (lit. and he was missing) he went away. Omuntu bw'abulwa by'ayogera anuuna ne ku vvu. (prov.) When a person is at a loss for words he even sucks on ashes. (This is said of a person who talks for the sake of talking).
o- adv. like food. Ekyuma ekyo kiyitirivu mu kusa amayinja, kigalya bumere. This machine is very effective in crushing stones, it smashes them to bits, lit. eats them like food. cf. emmere.
obs. propose, intend. It has been suggested that this obsolete verb is the simple form from which buulira, buuliri- ra, etc. were derived.
o- (bu/-) force, compulsion, lwa buwaze, under compulsion, by force. Ekyo nga temukikola lwa buwaze. You are not doing this because you are forced to. cf. waza.
amagezi; the capacity of this bucket is two gallons, endobo eno ejjula ggalani bbiri,
e- (li/ma) hem or seam (of a garment); kind of xylophone/dulcimer (but in this case usually plur., amadinda, q.v.). cf. obudinda.
pron. & adj. for singular nouns of the n/n class, this, enkumbi eno, this hoe. as a. demons, adv. here, ne gye buli eno, until now, up to this time. cf. eyo, Wi.
pron. & adj. for singular nouns of the n/n class, this, that (referring usually to something already mentioned), as a demons, adv. there (nearby). cf. eno, eri. deprive of; lose completely. Kijja kumufiiriza omulimu gwe. It will cause him to lose his job.
be like; look like; be similar; seem, appear. Obulwadde buno bulaanana kawaali. This disease resembles smallpox. Mwenna mu- faanana. You are all alike. Banno ba- faanana batya? What are your friends like? Afaanana ng'alya. He seems to be eating, obutafaanana nga bulijjo, unlike the usual situation, in an unusual manner. oku- faanana ne + noun = like, just like. okufaanana n'amawanga amalala, just like other nations.
be bereaved of; lose; miss, miss out on. oku- fiirwa obulamu, to lose one's life. Leka kufiirwa mukisa guno. Don't miss this opportunity. Abaana bangi bafiirwako bannyaabwe nga bakyali mabujje. Many people lose their mothers while they are still small children.
make die; lose. Omukazi ono yakafiisa abaana basatu. This woman has already lost three children.
cigarettes, etc.); blow, blow out. oku- fuuweeta oluyimba, to whistle a tune, okufuuweeta olulimi, to speak a language fluently, kufuuweeta bbidde, to drink alcohol. okufuuweeta erapewo, to show off, be snobbish/supercilious/high-hat. ennambo ezibadde zifuuweeta mu Kampala, the rumors which were spreading around Kampala. Omuntu oyo afuuweeta nnyo ebigambo. This person gossips a lot. cf. fuuwa.
e- (li/ma) egg. amagi amasii ke, fried eggs, kukuba za ku magi, to be a coward, act in a cowardly way, lit. strike the hens (enkoko is implied by za) (who are sitting) on the eggs. Kiriba kya nsonyi bwe mulirya eggi. lit. It will be a shame if you eat the egg. This derives from the proverb okulya eggi okwesub.ya omuwula, to eat the egg and miss the meat. The implication is that if one allows an egg to develop into a chicken the gain will be greater. Bulijjo afuna magi mu kubala. He always gets zeros in arithmetic, cf. ekigi.
e- (li/ma) partly ripened fruit of the muwafu or the musaali tree. Lukuba eggu ne luleka omuzima. (Death, olumbe) strikes the young fruit and leaves the ripe fruit (untouched). This saying refers to one who dies at a very young age.
e- (li/ma) afternoon; early evening; (with a past tense verb) yesterday afternoon. olw'eggulo, this afternoon or some particular afternoon. Essaawa ez'olw'eggulo tubeera ka. We are at home in the afternoon hours, jjo olw'eggulo, yesterday afternoon or (with a future tense) tomorrow afternoon, enkya olw'eggulo, tomorrow afternoon. Bwe nnaakukwatako engalo tujja kudda ggulo. When I get my hands on you we are really going to have it out, lit. we will return late in the day. cf. ekyeggulo.
e- plur. amawaatiro (li/ma) place where food and vegetables are peeled before cooking. (This is usually located in the banana garden located near the house.) cf. waata.
run out of. Omu- sajja oyo taggweebwako nsimbi. This man never runs out of money.
very firmly, very tightly. Eccupa nnywevu be gulugulu. The bottle is tightly sealed. Kino kyange gulugulu. This is my very own.
gwagwa; this water is impure, amazzi gano galimuobuwuka.
for which see the grammars. One usage which presents serious difficulties to the users of the dictionary must be mentioned here. ka- is the prefix for singular nouns of the ka/bu class. This class contains not only nouns proper to it, but in addition most other nouns can be converted to this class; in the latter case the resultant noun is a diminutive. In many cases sound changes obscure the relationship between the original noun and the diminutive: ente, cow; akate, small cow. ejjinja, rock; akayinja, stone, endabirwamu, mirror; akalabirwamu, small mirror.
a- also written akaco (ka/bu) time, period, interval, mu kakyo kano, at this time, at present.
a- (ka/bu) small plantain/banana leaf; small amount of medicine. Emmere eno ya kalagala. This food is not overly well done. cf. eddagala, 1 kiragala, olulagala.
kampegawano adv. up until now; by now; as of now; all this time, okuiuusa kampegaano, up until now. cf. mpegaano.
a- (ka/bu) something interesting/ worthwhile/appealing. amawulire omutali kanigguusa, very uninteresting news. Ebyo temuli kanigguusa. All this is just nonsense. There is nothing of any value in this.
with all one's might. Omulimu guno bagukutte kannabwala. They have put their full effort into this task.
adj. Sr pron. for nouns of the ka/bu class, this/these.
a- also akensubi (ka/bu) bottom row of a bunch of bananas; one banana from this bunch, cf. ekyensubi.
lit. kick (samba) hot coal (lyanda). mu biseera bino ebya kasambalyanda, in this period of danger, in this time of unrest.
a- from, essanda sap. Emmere egudde akasanda. The food is cooked, lit. has lost its juice or ‘sap.' (This phrase is particularly used with reference to sweet potatoes and bananas.)
a- (ka/bu) a kind of bean which resembles a lima bean but is much smaller, butter bean. Abantu ba kuno baamutwala teyeesibidde na kayindi. The people here sent him packing or (in a political context) they threw him out of office, lit. took him, he did not tie up beans for himself. (Formerly travelers used to take beans of this sort with them on long trips. The person referred to in the example left so quickly that he could not make the usual preparation.)
cause to dry; make firm; fig. make certain of; confirm, affirm; know well; pronounce well; name, nickname, dub. okukaza amaaso, to harden one's gaze; to be watchful, okukaza ekkubo, lit. to dry a path, i.e., to frequent, habituate. Omusajja oyo eya- kazibwako erya Kapere, this man who was nicknamed (erya implies erinnya, name) Kapere. Oluganda alinga alukazizza. He seems to have learned Luganda very well. Omwezi gukazizza bulungi. The moon is shining brightly.
e- (ki/bi) load, heavy load, ekibano kv'omukazi, ill-tempered, irascible woman. Kino nno kibano! This is incredible/unbelievable!
e- (ki/bi) something unusual/outside of the ordinary; an extraordinary happening. Kino kibejjo. This is horrible/terrible.
e- (ki/bi) wonder; marvel. Kino kiberengeru! This is unbelievable/terrible!
e- usually with the -a of rel. useless; wasted; of no purpose; not being fully utilized. Omulimu guno gwali gwa kifamukokko. This job was a waste of time. Ekifo kiri awo kya kifamukokko. The place is there going to waste/serving no purpose. eby'ekifamukokko, things acquired without any effort; useless things.
e- pej. augm. of liiso, eye. Kiiso kya mbuzi kirekera omussi ne kitunuulira omu- baazi. (prov.) The eye of the goat turns away from the one who is killing it and looks at the one who will skin it. Perhaps this means that we do not always realize who our real enemies are.
e- (plur. ebimu) numer. one (in the plur. some). Used with nouns of the ki/bi class or when no specific noun is referred to. buli kimu, everything, kye kimu, the same (thing), in the same way/manner. Ekyo kye k imu n'okugamba nti toogende. This is the same thing as saying that you will not go. okussa ekimu, to be in agreement; to receive Holy Communion, lit. to breathe (as) one. cf. ^-mu.
adj. & pron. for nouns of the ki/bi class, this/these.
e- (ki/bi) kind of shrub, Trium- feta tomentosa. Cord or rope, esp. that used for stitching the reeds in the roofs of houses, is made from the bark of this shrub, cf. akansambwe.
e- (ki/bi) kind, type. Olukiiko lwa Bungereza n'endala ez'ekinywi ekyo, the Parliament of England and others of this type.
e- with the -a of rel. having the shape of a water pitcher (nsuwa), round. Ennyumba yaaki? Ya kisuuwa. What sort of a house is this? A round one.
e- (ki/bi) something which is short and thick; short thick bundle. Omwana oyo kitutuli. This child is short and stocky.
e- (ki/bi) toll or fee imposed on a vendor setting up a stall in a market; preliminary. Ekyo kikyali ekituuza. This is only the beginning (e.g., of a parent threatening even sterner punishment for a recalcitrant child), cf. tuula, tuuza.
e- (ki/bi) coarse mat made of plantain or papyrus fibers. This is one of the oldest type of mats known among the Baganda. cf. oluwempe.
e- (ki/bi) piece of cloth; rag; duster; patch; bandage. Ate linda ggwe, bino bi- kyali biwero. But just wait, this is only the beginning (of what I have to tell you). kuba biwero buwero, to be nothing, be far inferior to the person or thing with which comparison is being made, lit. be mere rags.
e- also ekkonkomi (li/ma) kind of large multicolored lizard. It was believed that the spirit of the lubaale Lubanga resided in this lizard.
e- (li/ma) mesh of a net; link (in a chain), mu kkowe lino, in this regard, in this respect.
kolebwa (-koleddwa) v.i. pass, be done/made, etc. Abalwadde balabika oku- kolwako eddagala lino. The sick people seem to be favorably affected by this medicine.
v.tr. irritate, itch (of the throat). Obulago bunkoota. My throat itches. Omukazi ono yalina eyamukoota. There was somebody whom this woman liked very much. cf. olukoota.
to; at; among (of place, time and other relationships), ku mmeeza, on the table, ku lunaku luno, on this day. to express the partitive okulya emmere, to eat food; okulya ku mmere, to eat some food/ some of the food, ku lwa (before an infinitive), because of, on account of. Ku Iw'oku- beera omulwadde teyajja. Because he was sick (= because of being sick) he did not come, ku lwa (before a substantive), on behalf of. ku lwange, on my behalf, ku lwa Gavumenti, on behalf of the Government. Ali ku bwa Katonda. He is very seriously ill, lit. he is in the (obuyinza, power, implied) of God. Nze siri ku muntu ayagala okunywa omwenge. I do not care for a person who likes to drink beer. In form and function ku is related to the enclitic -ko, q. v.
-o the appl. inf. of ba, be. as a conj. because of, on account of, on account of being. Ekyo yakikola lwa kubeera mwami. He did this (= he got away with this) because he was a chief/on account of being a chief.
be surpassed by; be directed/led by. Ekitongole kino kikulirwa Mwami Kalyango. This department is under the direction of Mr. Kalyango.
e- (ki/bi) [5a'., Pers.~\ print, type; printing press; printing establishment; road sign; poster; patch, ekyapa ky'ettaka, land title, ebyapa by'emmotoka, number plates of a car. kuwandiika mu kyapa, to print / as opposed to writing with normal handwriting). kukuba byapa, to patch up clothing; to repair a tire; to survey land. Lipoota eyo teyakubibwa mu kyapa. This report was not printed/published, cf. akaapa.
e- with the -a of rel. self-sown; wild (of plants). Emmere eno baagisanga mu bibira kuba ya kyemeza. They found this (type of) food in the forests (growing) wild. cf. mera.
with the -a of rel. (in political context) republic, republican. Eggwanga lino li- fuulibwa lya kyetwala. This country is becoming a republic, cf. twala, -etwala.
look this way and
etc.; get for, provide; give greetings for another. Omundabira. Give him my regards. kulabira mu maddu, to be overjoyed to see (something, somebody). okulabira ku..., judging from, compared with. Kino kitono nnyo okulabira ku nkuba etonnya wano mu K. This is very little compared with the rain that falls here in K. kulabira awo (a high-frequency phrase which is difficult to reduce to any simple English equivalent): to get or see something by surprise or unintentionally; to do something without having made plans. Simanyi oba nga nnaagenda, leero nnaalabira awo. I do not know if I am going, I shall have to see/I really have no definite plans. Nnaalabira awo nga bandeetedde ku kamere. I was surprised when they brought me a little food. Baalabiraawo nga bazannya. They happened to be playing. Ndabira awo ekitabo kyange. You see that book of mine over there, give it to me. awo nga nkulabira or awo we nnalabira (stylized ending for a fable or tale). So the tale endeth.
etc.; eat as sauce/relish, okuliira omuntu empinga, to frustrate a person, make obstacles for a person, okuliira amaluma, to eat a meal without sauce or relish. Leeta enva ze tunaaliira emmere. Bring some vegetable relish which we can eat with the main dish. Naye nga ebyo byonna bibaliira ki emilwe? But why should all this worry/ bother you?
nnonze) v.tr. gather up, pick up; pick out; select, choose; elect; describe completely. Kuno si kutta kulonda. This is a great bargain, lit. it is not killing (a game CtTtl TTl al) but merely picking it up (from the ground), okulonda mu bangi, lit. to select from among many, to choose (a wife). Baabu)onda. They had a fight or They went running after each other, lit. picked up the footsteps (abuwuufu is implied by -bu-). Ekibiina kyakubidde waggulu mu kulonda. The party won an overwhelming victory in the elections.
ndoopye) v.tr. accuse; denounce; slander; tattle on; expose, reveal, mu ddoboozi eryaloopa obweraliikirivu, in a voice which showed anxiety. Guno nagwo musango muloope. This is a terrible situation.
o-: okulyamu olugaayu or okuyisaa- mu olugaayu, to lift one's leg and pass it over someone sitting down. This was commonly done by children as a sign of disrespect. It was believed that the person over whom the leg was passed would never grow any taller. The phrase may be used figuratively in the sense of look down on, show contempt for, defy. cf. gaayula.
o- plur. empya (lu/n) yard; courtyard. -a kiyita mu luggya, short, brief; temporary, not permanent, lit. passing through the courtyard. Olugendo lwe luno lujja kuba lwa kuyita mu luggya. This trip of his will be a very brief one. Omukulu takulira mpya bbiri. (prov.) A chief is not a chief of two compounds. Even those with great authority have limitations.
o- (lu/n) kind of small tree with sharp thorns. The poles formed from this tree are used in building, cf. omukanaga, enkanaga.
etc.; hurt with/by; injure; worry; disappoint. Ekyo kinnumya nnyo omwoyo. This worries me a great deal, ebigezo ebyalumya buli oma ogw'engulu, very difficult examinations, lit. which made everyone bite the upper (lip, omumwa implied).
olulimi luno, this langauge. as an adv. now, at this time. Iu tali luno, quickly, hurriedly; at once, immediately.
o- (lu/n) kind of grass used for thatching roofs; patch of this kind of grass. cf. essenke.