Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
siafu. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
siafu, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
siafu in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
siafu you have here. The definition of the word
siafu will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
siafu, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Swahili siafu.
Noun
siafu (plural siafus or siafu)
- 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
Noun
siafu (n class, plural siafu)
- army ant; biting ant
Ternate
Etymology 1
Cognate with Sahu siau, Galela siapu, Loloda siau.
Pronunciation
Noun
siafu
- the plant Dioscorea esculenta var. tiliifolia
Etymology 2
Pronunciation
Verb
siafu
- (stative) to be soft
Conjugation
References
- Rika Hayami-Allen (2001) A descriptive study of the language of Ternate, the northern Moluccas, Indonesia, University of Pittsburgh