Meanings
mokele-mbembe1
plural mokele-mbembes · alternative mokele mbembe · alternative Mokele-mbembe · alternative Mokele-Mbembe · alternative mokèlé-mbèmbé · alternative Mokèlé-mbèmbé
- A large water-dwelling cryptid described in legends of the Congo River basin.
The mokele mbembes' favorite hangout was a big lake frequented by the local fishermen […]
1995, Tom Logsdon, Understanding the Navstar2 more examples
Local pygmies, who have given the creature its name, have allegedly encountered the mokele-mbembe, which they say is the size of an elephant […]
2003, Robert Todd Carroll, The Skeptic's DictionaryThe swamps are intersected by many rivers, and the whole region is lush and largely inaccessible, providing any number of Mokele-Mbembes adequate food […]
2005, Rich Gray, Click or Treat: The Best of Halloween and Horror on the Internet
Mokele-mbembe2
plural Mokele-mbembes
- Alternative letter-case form of mokele-mbembe.
Mokele-Mbembe3
plural Mokele-Mbembes
- Alternative letter-case form of mokele-mbembe.
Origin
- Lingalamokɛle-mbɛmbe
- Englishmokele-mbembe
From Lingala mokɛle-mbɛmbe, possibly meaning "one who stops the flow of rivers", or "rainbow".
More words from Lingala
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
mokele-mbembe. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mokele-mbembe
“mokele-mbembe.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mokele-mbembe. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mokele-mbembe,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mokele-mbembe.
Source: mokele-mbembe on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.