Meanings
nounshamba (plural shambas)
plural shambas
- AfricaEastAn area of cultivated ground; a plot of land, a small subsistence farm for growing crops and fruit-bearing trees, often including the dwelling of the farmer.
To reach his new strip of shamba which lay the other side of Thabai, Mugo had to walk through the dusty village streets.
1967, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, A Grain of Wheat, EAEP, published 2008, page 4
Origin
- Swahilishamba
- Englishshamba
From Swahili shamba.
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Cite this entry
APA
shamba. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shamba
MLA
“shamba.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shamba. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shamba,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shamba.
Source: shamba on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.