muawi

M3U1A1W4I1

noun

The name used in the 19th and early 20th centuries for a poisonous tree native to Mozambique whose bark was being studied for its pharmaceutical properties. Later sources determined it to be the same as sassywood, Erythrophleum suaveolens, to which it was often compared by earlier writers.

OriginSwahili mwavibor.? ← Proto-Bantu *mʊ̀jábì →
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Meanings

nounmuawi (uncountable)
  1. obsoleteuncountableThe name used in the 19th and early 20th centuries for a poisonous tree native to Mozambique whose bark was being studied for its pharmaceutical properties. Later sources determined it to be the same as sassywood, Erythrophleum suaveolens, to which it was often compared by earlier writers.

Origin

  1. Proto-Bantu*mʊ̀jábì
  2. Swahilimwavibor.?
  3. Englishmuawi

From Swahili mwavi or a cognate in some other Bantu language.

More words from Swahili, Bantu

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Umawi
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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