muma
/múmá/
noun
Origin
Gikuyu
muma — oath
Overview
Meaning Now
- A formal oath, curse, or ritual prohibition in Gikuyu culture, intended to bind individuals or protect communal laws.
Literal older meaning
oath or binding prohibition
Language path
Proto-Bantu → Gikuyu
Earliest form
muma
Earliest period
pre-colonial era
Journey
The 'muma' served as a judicial and social mechanism in Gikuyu society. It was often administered during trials to ensure truth-telling or to demarcate sacred spaces and rules that, if violated, were believed to bring spiritual consequences upon the transgressor or their lineage.
Evolution
- Proto-Bantu
*-guma
“oath, curse”
- Gikuyu
muma
“oath, binding prohibition”
Consonantal shift common in North-Eastern Bantu languages.
Connections
Word parts
mu-ma
root
binding ritual
Related across languages
Kikamba
uma
oath
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Related to muma
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.