Etymology

bwana

B3W4A1N1A1

Today it means: Big boss, important person. Full definition →

Swahili bwana ← Arabic أَبُونَا (ʔabūnā) ← Proto-Semitic *ʔabw-
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The story

  1. Proto-Afroasiatic*ʔab-
  2. Proto-Semitic*ʔabw-
  3. Arabicأَبُونَا (ʔabūnā)
  4. Swahilibwana
  5. English todaybwana

Borrowed from Swahili bwana (“master”), from Arabic أَبُونَا (ʔabūnā, “our father”). Doublet of abbot.

Words from the same roots

Arabicأَبُونَا all →

abuna

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.