Etymology

sangoma

san·go·ma
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Today it means: A (usually female) traditional healer or herbalist, or witch doctor. Full definition →

Zulu isángoma ← Proto-Bantu *ngòmà
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The story

  1. Proto-Bantu*ngòmà
  2. Zuluíngoma
  3. Zuluisángoma
  4. English todaysangoma

Borrowed from Zulu isángoma (“diviner, witch doctor, sangoma”), possibly from i- + sa- (prefix meaning ‘of’) + íngoma (“dance song performed at a festival; hymn”). The English word is cognate with Afrikaans sangoma, Swazi sángoma.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.