morena

M3O1R1E1N1A1
General South African/mɔˈɹenə/General South African/məˈɹenə/UK/məˈɹeɪnə/

noun

Someone in authority, a master or leader, especially among Sotho-speakers.

OriginSotho morena ← Northern Sotho morena ← Tswana morena →
UncommonFirst used 19th c.Scrabble 8
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Meanings

morena1

nounmorena (plural morenas or marena)

plural morenas · plural marena

  1. South AfricaSomeone in authority, a master or leader, especially among Sotho-speakers.First known use 19th c.

    ‘Morena,’ said the old priest, ‘don't be angry with the boy.’

    1979, André Brink, A Dry White Season, Vintage, published 1998, page 93

Morena2

proper nounMorena (plural Morenas)

plural Morenas

  1. A surname.
  2. A district of Madhya Pradesh, India.

Origin

  1. Tswanamorena
  2. Northern Sothomorena
  3. Sothomorena
  4. Englishmorena

Borrowed from Sotho morena, Northern Sotho morena, Tswana morena, from mo- (personal class prefix) + rena (“to be rich, to be a leader”).

More words from Sotho, Northern Sotho, Tswana

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

RamoneMoraneAnmoreMarenoMoeranenamoranomermaenormoanerNaorem
Cite this entry
APA

morena. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/morena

MLA

“morena.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/morena. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “morena,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/morena.

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