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ọyan. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
ọyan, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
ọyan in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
ọyan you have here. The definition of the word
ọyan will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
ọyan, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Yoruba
Etymology
From ọ- (“nominalizing prefix”) + yàn (“to suckle”). The use of yàn with this noun is restricted to Central Yoruba dialects, while others use mu (“to drink”).
Compare with Igala ẹ́nyà, Olukumi ọnyàn, Itsekiri èyán, proposed to be derived from Proto-Yoruboid *ɛ́-ɲã̀. Perhaps distantly related to àyà (“chest”) or *ɔ́-yà (“wife”), which links to other Volta-Niger words for woman. Etymological evidence suggests that ọyàn served as a more euphemistic name compared to ọmú, and while it has largely replaced ọmú in common day speech, its original euphemistic origins may support the idea that it comes from a non-anatomical root, similar to the developement of euphemisms for genitalia.
Pronunciation
Noun
ọyàn
- (anatomy, originally euphemistic) breast
- Synonym: ọmú
Derived terms