aba-, prefix

/aba/
An isiXhosa and isiZulu plural noun prefix found in some words originating in these languages, sometimes shortened to ba-.
Note:
For examples, see abakwetha, abalumbi, mlungu. In Xhosa and Zulu, the singular of words beginning aba- is formed by replacing this prefix with um- or umu-; in South African English. this pattern is not always observed, and words in the plural form are sometimes treated as singular nouns, an -s being added to form the English plural. See also um-.
An isiXhosa and isiZulu plural noun prefix found in some words originating in these languages, sometimes shortened to ba-.
Entry Navigation