umsobosobo, noun

/(ʊ)mˌsɔbɔˈsɔbɔ/
Forms:
msobo, msobosoboShow more Also msobo, msobosobo, sobo-sobo, sorba-sorba, umsobo.
Origin:
IsiXhosa, IsiZuluShow more IsiXhosa and isiZulu umsobo, umsobosobo nightshade plant, nightshade fruit.
Note:
Fox & Norwood Young (Food from the Veld, 1982, p.356) state that in Zulu umsobo is the tree and umsobosobo the berry, while in Xhosa these words are interchangeable. Doke & Vilakazi’s Zulu-English Dictionary (1964) does not make this distinction. McLaren’s New Concise Xhosa-English Dictionary (1975) claims that in Xhosa umsobosobo is the fruit.
a. Either of two nightshade plants of the Solanaceae, Solanum nigrum and S. retroflexum. b. The berries of these plants, poisonous when green but edible when ripe. Also attributive.
Note:
There is some confusion over the identification of this plant: ‘Jacot Guillarmod [in Sartryck ur Botaniska Notiser vol. 119 fasc.2, 1966] considers that the Solanum nigrum of southern Africa consists of several different species or varieties, none or only one of which may be the Solanum nigrum of the northern hemisphere.’ (Fox & Norwood Young p.347.) See also quotation 1977.
1909 E. London Dispatch 24 July 5In South Africa where it is a very common weed [it is] known to most people by its native name, ‘Umsobosobo.’
1911 E. London Dispatch 10 Nov. 6 (Pettman)Mention may be made of the well-known weed common in old lands, Umsobosobo (S. nigrum). In the old country it is undoubtedly poisonous, but here in South Africa its little black berries are eaten with impunity and are even made into jam.
1913 C. Pettman Africanderisms 458Sobosobo,..The fruit of Solanum nigrum, Linn.
1913 C. Pettman Africanderisms 522Umsobosobo, (Kaf. um Sobo.) The name given by the natives to the fruit of Solanum nigrum.
1937 B.J.F. Laubscher Sex, Custom & Psychopathology 82A herb called Msobosobo (cabbage) is tabooed in the diet of women.
1967 S.M.A. Lowe Hungry Veld 94‘Peter, umsobo-sobo!’ Lucy exclaimed, pointing to a thick mass of small plants, each smothered in tiny black berries.
1971 L.G. Green Taste of S.-Easter 89An early Natal cookery book has recipes for egg-plant cutlets,..and msobo jam made with wild blackberries found in the mealie fields.
1972 Farmer’s Weekly 21 Apr. 29A correspondent asks about ‘Sorba-Sorba’. From the name and the description, the plant is a species of Solanum but one which belongs to a complex of closely related species, some of which are poisonous and some of which are edible. This complex of species includes the European species Solanum nigrum, Black or Garden Nightshade.
1977 Farmer’s Weekly 23 Nov. 81Professor of Bantu Languages, D.T. Cole at the University of the Witwatersrand points out that the correct name is umsobo (pl imisobo) and that is is a Zulu word although the same name is used for the plant in Xhosa. The actual botanical name is a little more confusing, but is is generally thought that is is Solanum retroflexum and not S. nigrum L. S. retroflexum is thought to be indigenous to the warmer areas of South Africa whereas S. nigrum is of European origin.
Either of two nightshade plants of the Solanaceae, Solanum nigrum and S. retroflexum.
The berries of these plants, poisonous when green but edible when ripe. Also attributive.
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IsiXhosa
IsiZulu
umshologu, nounn.umtwana, nounn.
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