Aa

A b ch,/a/b/t/a b ch [H H H] n. (m.) Alphabet:

the set of letters which comprise a language;
usually fixed by custom and usage;
colloquially, also a set of basic parts or
elements or rudimentary bits. Beginnings.
A, b, ch, b isi mbido okwu n'usoro
ndepta ha - A, b, c are the first letters to
be written.

Ab /ab/ab [HL] 2 Ab/ab/ab [HH] 3

Ab/ab/ab [HL] 1 n. (m.) Song or

Hymn: sang in worship or as an anthem.
Mgbe ha bchara ab ha wee si n'ulo ka
ah laa - When they had finished singing a
hymn they departed from the church. 2 n.
(m.) Pus: the yellow or greenish fluid,
product of swelling, largely made up of
dead leucocytes, exuded plasma, as well as
liquefied tissue cells. Ab na-apta n'nya
ah - Pus is flowing out of that wound.
N'olu nd: Ab na-afta n'nya anwa. 3
n. (m.) Arm-pit: the part underneath the
arm, directly beneath the hump of the
shoulder. Used in slang to describe an
undesirable part, place or location. Ka
bara n'ugbo ah, kparala mma n'ab As he came to that farm, she bore a machete
in her armpit.

Abba/abba/abba [LLL] 1 adj. (na.)

Adipose: Of, relating to animal fat, usually.

Fatty. Ezi ah gbara abba - The pig was
suitably adipose. 2 n. (m.) Feathers: in
Igbo, used of Chicken feathers. Tpsaa
abba kk ah - Remove all feathers
from that hen.

Abr n/ab n/abr n [HHH

HH] adj. (na.) Abominable: or being under
a curse; doomed. Nwoke a, a brla onye
abr n - This man has become an
accursed person; an accursed man.

Achebe/Atebe/A chebe [LLMH] n. (m.)

Achebe: Nigerian writer (1930 - 2012)

whose works, including the novel Things
Fall Apart (1958), describe traditional
African life in conflict with colonial rule
and westernization. Chna Achebe. Achebe
na-akpa ike d egwu, ma aba n'ide
akwkw - Achebe was a serious and
powerful exponent of the novel.

Adgh ihu mmet/ad ihu mmet/adgh

ihu mmet [HHH HH HH] adj. (na.)

Abstract: Not having a concrete form or

recognisable face. Ihe na-ekwu edogh m
anya, adgh ihummet n ya - What you
are saying is not clear to me, it is rather
abstract.

Adigh nkwado/ad nkado /Adgh

nkwado [HHL HLH] adj. (na.) Ad

Libitum: not obligatory or freely, used of a

musical performance. A s ya kpwa b
ya ka o siri mas ya, o were kpwa ya
n'adgh nkwado - He was asked to play his
guitar as he pleased, so he obliged them ad
libitum.

Adgh ta/ad ta/adgh ta [HHH HH]

adj. (na.) Above Reproach: To be free from

blame or criticism. Onye a enwegh ihe o

mere. Adgh ta nnyere ya - This person
is not guilty. He is blameless.

Af ntozu/af ntozu/af ntozu var. ar [HL

MHL] n. (m.) Age of Consent: Age usually
between 18 and 21, at which a child is
considered adult enough to make
independent decisions. This usually means
to engage freely in sexual behaviour and/or
activity. Or eligibiblity for military service,
for instance. It varies in different countries
and cultures. gbaala af iri aba na otu;
rue 'af ntouzu' gi - ga-aba ka
edebanye aha g n'akwkw - You are
now 21 years old, at your age of consent you must come to be registered.

Agbala nwany/a~ala a /agbala

nwany/ [HHL HML] adj. (na.) Amazon:

Agbr/a~r/agbr [HLL]
Borrows from Greek mythology, a member
of a nation of women warriors believed to
belong to the Scythian nation; but in this
usage, chiefly adjectival a strong, sometimes
aggressive woman. For Igbo, it is chiefly
used in passing or giving compliments.
Yvonne b akpnwa; agbala nwany Yvonne is a strong child - an amazon.

Agbr/a~r/agbr [HLL] n. (m.)

Ancestry: Descent or lineage. Ancestors

considered together in a category or group.
nagh akpa agwa nd mr g. Agbr g
anagh eme otu a - You do not behave like
your forebears. Your ancestry would not
have behaved this way.

Aha ndt k eletriki/Aha ndtu k

eletriki/Aha ndtu k eletriki [HL
HL HL HHHL] n. (m.) Ampre: French
physicist and mathematician, born 1775;
who published laws describing the magnetic
field produced by a current-carrying
conductor. In his honour, the SI unit of
electrical current was instated. Ampre b
onye France nyere any amamihe ya Ampre was a French man who gave us his
intellect.

Ahagh ah na mnweta/a a ah na
meta /Ahaghi ah na mnweta
[HHH LH HHH] adj. (na.) Available:
ready and employable; within reach. gaa
n'd gb-ala n na Sabo, ga-ah gb
nd na-eje Enugu. Ha ahagh ah na
mnweta - If you visit the moto park at Sabo,
you will see cars going to enugu. They are
available.

Ahr/ah/ahr [HLL] 1 adj. (na.)

Actual: Existing or based on fact, not flimsy

or imagined, descriptive of events, persons,
things. d nd n'ezie. Nke m na-agwa g
b ahr ya - He lives in truth. This is the
actual story. 2 n. (m.) ahr/ Fart (slang):
flatulence or excess gas in the digestive tract
which escapes in an odious gas. Onye
nyr ahr n'ebe a? - Who farted here?
s.f ah (n'olu nd)

Akwata/akata/akwata [LLH]

Aja/ada/aja [HM] n. (m.) Sand: usually

chiefly comprising Silicon. Loose grains of

broken-down or abraded rock. Also used of
clay; adobe - r / [HH] Jiri aja
kptara m mgbidi ulo - Mould a wall of
sand for me.

Aka ike/aka ike/aka ike/ [HH HH] adj. (na.)

An Iron Fist: (idiomatic) used of rulership

that is often high-handed. Describes a strong
and unyielding ruler. Such rule. Used also
with the Igbo in description of a stingy and
mean person. chch ya b chch akachchch. Onye isi nwere aka ike - Her
leadership was high-handed and tight-fisted.
The leader has rules with an iron-fist.

Akpa onunu/a~kpa onunu/akpa onunu

[LL LLL] n. (m.) Adrenal Gland: either of
two small, dissimilar endocrine glands, one
located above each kidney. Handles
particular bodily secretions, for which Igbo
names it onununu (a flowing or a taste); also
associated with bile in Igbo culture. naaya ah n'akpa onunu ya - She has an
ailment of the adrenal gland.

Akk Nkenke/akk nkeke /akk nkeke

[HHH HHH] n. (m.) Anecdote: short
story. kr akk nkenke n'iji gosipta
ihe na-ekwu - He told a short story to
illustrate his point.

Akk Ochie/akk otie/akk ochie

[HHH HHL] n. (m.) Ancient History:
properly a phrase depicting old stories such
as epics or myths. Colloquially, used to
descriped lapsed developments. The Past.
Akk Obi kr dka nkwa okwere na
mb. Ha ncha b akk chie - The
stories Obi told are like his promises from
the beginning. They all are ancient history.

Akk/akk/akk [HLL] prep. (mb.)

Alongside: Literally beside, or the side of

something. A preposition. bara nr m
n'akk - He came alongside me.

Akwata/akata/akwata [LLH] n. (m.)

Abbatoir: usually a place or facility of

Alo/alo/alo [HL]
slaughter for cattle or goats; where animals
are killed for consumption as food products.
Slaughterhouses which process meat not
intended for human consumption are
sometimes called knackers. Kpr ehi nke
a; jee n'akwata, ka e gbue ya - Drag this
cow off; go to the abbatoir to slaughter it.

Ike/ike/ik
e [HL]

pronounciation 'ahh' of insects generally;

or colloquially to depict sufferring 'taahh', lit. 'to eat ants or insects'. Zapta
ebe ah, ka ahh ghara kp na ya Sweep out the place, so that it breeds no
ants. Ha tara ezigbo ahh - They suffered
indeed. (N'olu nd: aff - var.).

Alo/alo/alo [HL] n. (m.) Agenda: a plan or

Ata/ata/ata [HH] n. (m.) Achilles Tendon: the

Ama-ama /ama/ama/ Ama-ama [HLLH] n.

Atmat-emere/atmat/emere/atmatemere [HLLL HLL] n. (m.) Analysis: the

course of action set to be considered, as for

a meeting. A list. Ha bara ka any dokdo
isi n, were taa alo - They came for us to
deliberate and to plan the agenda.
(m.) Acclaim: praise or speak well of
someone or something; or popularity. Onye
a b onye ama-ama. A na-ankwa da
aha ya n'ebe dum - This person is well
known and he is well famous.

Angh/an /anghi [HMM] adj. (na.) var.

adgh/v.ad / Adgh [HHL] Absent : the

quality or state of not being there; not
present. Any gara ka any h ha, ma ha
angh ya - We went to see them but they
were absent.

Anw-anw/a/a/anw-anw
[HLHL] 1 adj. (na.) Ageless: enduring,
undying. b anw-anw - He (she) is
ageless. 2 adj. (na.) anw-anw [HH HH]
Browned-out: a designation of colour
among the Igbo. The yellow brownish
colour of sun-burnt things. na-acha
anw-anw - It is the colour of sun-burnt
things.

Arr/a/arr [HHH] n. (m.) Ant:

generic reference for the Igbo to one of the

many species of ants found ih her environs.
Specific ants have many local names. (See
Agbs or Ndanda). Used with a variant

large tendon connecting the heel bone to the

calf muscle of the leg. kw na-egbu m
mgbu, n'ata ya - My leg is paining me, at
the tendon. Achilles Tendon.

study of constituent parts of a complex

whole, undertaken to best determine the
nature of the whole. Atmat-emere gosiri
na ihe Afam na-ekwu eziokwu - The
analysis of his story showed that Afam was
speaking the truth.

Az-az/az/az/az-az [LHMH] adj. (na.)

Aback: backward, of directions or location
and placement. Old or archaic English
usage. Kwr n'az-az! - Stand aback!

Ii
Ike/ike/ike [HL] 2 Ihe/ike/ike [HH] 1 n. (m.)

Buttocks or bottom: the rear or behind area

of the human body. Also found on certain
animals. Ike g na-egosi - Your buttom is
showing. 2 n. (m.) Power or strength:
ability or capacity to perform a feat. Also
used of authority. Onye nyere g ike i
nwere? - Who has given you this strength
you have?