jembe

J8E1M3B3E1

noun

A kind of hoe (digging tool).

OriginSwahili jembe ← Proto-Bantu *ìgèmbè →
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Meanings

jembe1

nounjembe (plural jembes)

plural jembes

  1. alternativeAlternative spelling of djembe (“type of drum”).

jembe2

nounjembe (plural jembes)

plural jembes

  1. KenyaA kind of hoe (digging tool).

    How many jembes do the people of your village buy per year?

    1993, Samuel M. Wamae, How to Win in the Coming Jua Kali Boom, page 142

Origin

  1. Proto-Bantu*ìgèmbè
  2. Swahilijembe
  3. Englishjembe

Borrowed from Swahili jembe, from Proto-Bantu *ìgèmbè.

More words from Swahili

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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