siafu

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English

Etymology

Borrowed from Swahili siafu.

Noun

siafu (plural siafus or siafu)

  1. An army ant.
    • 2016, Kevin Baker, The World's Most Dangerous Animals:
      Male driver ants leave the colony soon after they hatch but are drawn to the scent trails left by colonies of siafu ants when they reach sexual maturity.
    • 1957, William W. Baldwin, Mau Mau Man-hunt, page 216:
      The siafus, together with the hyena, jackal and vulture, are the great scavengers of Kenya.

Swahili

Pronunciation

  • Audio (Kenya):(file)

Noun

siafu (n class, plural siafu)

  1. army ant; biting ant

Ternate

Etymology 1

Cognate with Sahu siau, Galela siapu, Loloda siau.

Pronunciation

Noun

siafu

  1. the plant Dioscorea esculenta var. tiliifolia

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Verb

siafu

  1. (stative) to be soft
Conjugation
Conjugation of siafu
Singular Plural
Inclusive Exclusive
1st tosiafu fosiafu misiafu
2nd nosiafu nisiafu
3rd Masculine osiafu isiafu, yosiafu†
Feminine mosiafu
Neuter isiafu
† - archaic

References

  • Rika Hayami-Allen (2001) A descriptive study of the language of Ternate, the northern Moluccas, Indonesia, University of Pittsburgh
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