v., okubuulira, okutegeeza, okwogera na.
a- (ka/bu) asparagus fern; headdress/ tiara of a bride.
e- (ki/bi) turban, headdress worn by Muslims; headcloth; scarf; handkerchief. cf. akalemba.
e- (ki/bi) echo, (la) one who speaks without being addressed, one who butts into a conversation, cf. yitaba.
maama omuto, aunt, mother's sister, interj. expressing surprise or enthusiasm my goodness! gee! boy! Maama ng'olabye! Gee, I am sorry about what has happened to you! Note also that a mother may address her daughter as maama wange, my mother.
o- (mu/mi) kind of fetish. title of address corresponding to English ‘Mr.' Mw. Kiwanuka, Mr. Kiwanuka. Ekwata omwami tereka muganzi. (prov.) lit. The habit of speech (e- of ekwata implies eŋŋombo) which affects the chief does not leave his favorite wife (uninfluenced). We are affected by those with whom we associate. cf. obwami.
o- plur. abaana (mu/ba) child. When referring to the young of animals mwana is sometimes, but not always, shifted to the mu/mi class, omwana gw'endiga, lamb, but omwana w'embuzi, goat, kid. mwana wattu, friend, my friend/pal (often used as a term of address), cf. akaana, ekyana, olwana, lyana, nnabaana.
e- (n/n) address, place where a person or organization may be reached; index; directory; guide lines, endagiriro y'ekitabo, the table of contents of a book. cf. lagirira.
e- (n/n) crown, royal headdress, okutikkira engule, to crown.
e-: (emmere) ennimire, (food) cultivated by (others). Olya nnimire. You eat food cultivated by others (a very insulting expression, implying that the wife to whom it is addressed is lazy and cannot grow her own food), cf. lima, limira.
adj. & pron. with sing, nouns of of the mu/ba and la classes that; that person (referring to someone near the person addressed or someone who has already been alluded to), cf. ono, oli.
Mr.; madame (to princesses, wives of kings), bassebo ne bannyabo, ladies and gentlemen, ssebo wange, the poor fellow. Ssebo yajja. My father came.
kill (game), swagula, ssebo! congratulations! (originally addressed to a hunter but now more general in use).
o- (mu/ba) lady; lady of the house; without the initial vowel wife; as a title of address Mrs., Miss. cf. nnakyala.
(in certain cases) maternal aunt. The forms are: mmange or nnyabo, nnyoko, nnyina, nnyaffe, nnyammwe, nnyaabwe (my mother, your mother, his/her mother, etc.). Note that nnyabo is also used: 1) as a term of address for a woman: Miss, Mrs, madame and 2) as an interj. expressing sympathy or pity: oh dear! Note that nnyoko, your (sing.) mother is sometimes used in a bad sense. It may be replaced by mukyala.
Mrs., madame. interj. of sympathy or pity, oh dear! See nnya-.
taata omuto, father's brother, uncle.
(plur. battu) lit. ours (- waffe). as an interj. please! Wattu yingira. Please come in. as a term of sympathy or endearment Mu sajja wattu! The poor man! Mwana wattu, ndetera amazzi. Bring me some water, my dear child {or simply dear because the person addressed need not be a child).
chap, fellow.
cf. -longo, ssaabalongo.