taano.
a-: okubuuza akana n'akataano. lit. to ask four and five, i.e., to interrogate in detail, question at length, cf. -na, -taano.
e- (n/n) strength; power, with the -a of rel. strong, powerful. Nnali sinoonya wa kwegera naye mbavu. I was not looking for anyone to measure my strength with/to fight with, abasajja ab'embavu bataano, five strong/powerful men. Okutya kwazika embavu. Fear makes one strong, lit. lends strength.
e- (n/n) a number (of units) less than ten; excess, some in addition (with the number not explicitly expressed). With the -a of rel. some odd, some in excess of, some few. ssiringi ttano ne ssente ez'en- susuuba, five shillings and some odd cents. Abaana ababaddeyo baabadde mu nsusuuba. The children who were there were less than ten. cf. suusuuba.
e- (n/n) manner or way of preparing/ arranging; arrangement; preparation; program, plan, entegeka y'obufuzi, constitution (of a nation), entegeka y'emyaka etaano, five-year plan, entegeka y'emmeeza, setting of the table, cf. tegeka.
two, three, etc.) and with nouns of the lu/n and n/n classes, kuba mu ttaano, to get, lit. to have in (my) five (fingers). Gkitabo kindi mu ttaano. 1 have the book. I have got hold of the book. Yagamba nti ebintu byonna byali bimuli mu ttaano. He said that he had everything under control. cf. -taano.
v.tr. be lost to. Ekitabo kimbuze. I have lost my book, lit. the book has become lost to me. obusungu ne bubula okumutta, and he became furious, lit. anger almost killed him. Akakiiko kaamaze ekiro kyonna nga kateesa, ne kabulako kye kamaliriza. The committee spent the whole night in discussion, but failed to reach a decision. Ebulayo eddakiika ttaano okuwera essaawa ettaano. It is five minutes to eleven, lit. there are lacking five minutes to eleven (five by Bantu time). Ennyumba ye yabadde ebulayo katono mu maaso. His house was a short distance ahead. Yajja abulidde mu mugugu. He came loaded down (lit. disappearing into) with a large bundle. Ssente te(zi)bula mukwate. Money is not lacking to one who is arrested/apprehended (i.e., a person charged with an offense will do everything possible to have himself exhonerated). gunaabula asala, lit. the case (omusango is implied by gu-) will lack any one who (can) pass judgment, i.e., it will be a cliff-hanger/a'thriller, ' a contest whose outcome is in doubt to the end or it will be pandemonium, sheer chaos/confusion.
(n/n) [Stv. ] whip (made of rhinoceros skin); lash. Wa kuku.bwa kifaalu taano. He is to beaten with five lashes.
numer. five (with nouns of the li/ma class); fifty (with nouns of other classes). cf. -taano.
occur; fail (in an examination), kugwa butaka, to fail to hit the mark, fail, be unsuccessful, kugwa mu bintu, to hit upon a good thing, have a stroke of luck, get a high or rewarding position, kugwa nsimbi, to go bankrupt, kugwa muntu, to become enamored of/‘fall for' a person, kugwa ku muntu, to backbite/ slander a person in his absence, butagwa kintu, not to miss anything. Omukazi oyo tagwa mikolo. That woman never misses any big occasions, kukigwako, to experience misfortune/tragedy/disaster. Abaana abo bakiguddeko. Those children have really had their share of misfortune, kugwa mu ttaano, to finally receive/get what one has anxiously wished or expected, lit. to fall in five (fingers). Ku Lwomukaaga omu- fumbi w'ettooke ajja kungwa mu ttaano. On Saturday I am getting married/the girl will finally be mine, lit. the cooker of matooke will fall in my five (fingers), kugwa mu buwufu, to follow in the footsteps of; to follow what anotheris saying, ‘catch on.' Yali tannaba kumalayo bigambo ne mmugwa mu buwufu. I understood what he was saying before he was finished talking. Akabenje ak'amaanyi kaaguddewo olunaku lw'eggulo. A serious accident happened yesterday. Kino kyamuguddeko bugwi. This came to him as a great surprise. Ekigambo kino olwamugwa mu kutu... When she heard this..., lit. when this word fell in her ear. Abagenyi baatuguddeko bugwi. The visitors came to us unannounced/unexpectedly.
-taano numeral stem five. Initial modifications are made according to the class of the noun to which the numeral refers. Note that ttaano is used in counting (one, two, three, etc.) as well as with nouns of the lu/n and n/n classes. Under certain circumstances (for which see the grammars) amakumi ataano, 50, is abbreviated to ataano. cf. okutaano, Olwokutaano.