Gnawa

G2N1A1W4A1

noun

Any member of an ethnic group and Sufi religious order in Morocco.

OriginFrench Gnaoua ← Moroccan Arabic ڭناوة ← Tashelhit agnaw →
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Meanings

nounGnawa (plural Gnawas or Gnawa)

plural Gnawas · alternative Gnaoua

  1. Any member of an ethnic group and Sufi religious order in Morocco.

Origin

  1. Tashelhitagnaw“stutterer, a person of sub-Saharan origin”
  2. Moroccan Arabicڭناوة
  3. FrenchGnaoua
  4. EnglishGnawa

From French Gnaoua, from Moroccan Arabic ڭناوة (gnāwa), from Tashelhit agnaw (“stutterer, a person of sub-Saharan origin”).

More words from French, Moroccan Arabic, Tashelhit

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Ngawawanga
Cite this entry
APA

Gnawa. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Gnawa

MLA

“Gnawa.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Gnawa. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Gnawa,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Gnawa.

Source: Gnawa on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.