buba

See also: bubă, Bubă, búba, búbá, and búba

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Yoruba buba.

Noun

buba (plural bubas)

1. A woman's blouse worn in West African countries.

Catalan

Etymology

Semi-learned borrowing from Medieval Latin būbō (“bubo”), from Ancient Greek βουβών (boubṓn, “groin, swelling”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [ˈbu.βə]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [ˈbu.bə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈbu.ba]

Noun

buba f (plural bubes)

1. pimple

   Synonym: bua

2. pox

Derived terms

• bua

Related terms

• bubó

Further reading

• “buba” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Dení

Noun

buba f

1. walking palm (Socratea exorrhiza)
2. floor made from the wood of the walking palm
3. floor

References

• “buba” in Gordon Koop, Lois Koop, Dicionário deni-português, Associação Internacional de Lingüística - SIL Brasil, 1985.

Gamilaraay

buba

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbuba/

Noun

buba

1. biceps

References

• (2003) Gamilaraay Yuwaalaraay Yuwaalayaay Dictionary

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *bǫba.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bûba/
• Hyphenation: bu‧ba

Noun

bȕba f (Cyrillic spelling бу̏ба)

1. bug
2. beetle

Declension

	singular	plural
nominative	bȕba	bube
genitive	bube	bȗbā
dative	bubi	bubama
accusative	bubu	bube
vocative	bubo	bube
locative	bubi	bubama
instrumental	bubom	bubama

Declension of buba

References

• “buba”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2024

Sranan Tongo

Etymology

Compare Yoruba bùbá (“outer garment”), Baoule bui (“bark (skin)”), Kongo búuba (“outfit; small piece of cloth worn by a woman”), Mandinka bubá (“blouse”), Wolof buba (“garments”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Niger-Congo *-kwuba (“skin (bark, husk)”). ^[1]

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bu.ba/

Noun

buba

1. skin
   • 1855 April 23, “De slavernij en hare gruwelen in Suriname [Slavery and its horrors in Suriname]”, in Algemeen Handelsblad‎, Amsterdam, page 4:

     Pieri me na boeba, fo na ningre

     Strip me that Negro's skin off

2. (by extension), skin colour, race
   • 1985, “Mi Dren (I Shall Be Released)”, in Anne-Marie Hunsel (lyrics), Bob Dylan (music), Mi Dren (I Shall Be Released)‎, performed by Anne-Marie Hunsel:

     Ini mi dren mi ben syi / fa Srananman ben makandra / Ala buba ben kon na wan / Ke Masra, mi winsi a ben de tru

     In my dream, I saw / how the Surinamese were getting along / All races had united / Oh Lord, I wish it were true

3. fur, fleece
4. peel
5. shell, husk, crust, bark
6. sapwood
   • 1783, C. L. Schumann, Neger-Englisches Worterbuch [Negro English Dictionary]‎, archived from the original on 8 February 2023:

     Kuljara va ju no habi bunne hudu, da buba soso

     Your canoe doesn't have proper wood, it's just sapwood.

7. sheath

Derived terms

• kawbuba (“cowhide”)
• leribuba (“belt”)
• mofobuba (“lip”)
• yesibuba (“earlobe”)

 

Descendants

• Aukan: buba
• Saramaccan: búba

References

1. G. Huttar (1985) “Sources of Ndjuka African vocabulary”, in New West Indian Guide‎, →ISSN, page 56

Swahili

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Noun

buba (n class, plural buba)

1. yaws

References

• M J F Cooper (2007 November 15) Swahili Medical Dictionary and Phrasebook, 2nd edition, Lulu.com, page 56

West Makian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbu.ba/

Verb

buba

1. (stative) alternative form of boba (“to call, summon”)

Conjugation

Conjugation of buba (stative verb)
		singular	plural
			inclusive	exclusive
1st person		tibuba	mibuba	abuba
2nd person		nibuba	fibuba
3rd person	inanimate	ibuba	dibuba
	animate	mabuba
imperative		—, buba	—, buba

References

• Clemens Voorhoeve (1982) The Makian languages and their neighbours‎, Pacific linguistics

Yoruba

Obìnrin Yorùbá pẹ̀lú ìró àti bùbá, ìborùn àti gèlè

Ọkùnrin Yorùbá pẹ̀lú bùbá, ṣòkòtò, àti fìlà

Etymology

Compare Baoule bui (“bark (skin)”), Kongo búuba (“outfit; small piece of cloth worn by a woman”), Mandinka bubá (“blouse”), Wolof buba (“garments”), Sranan Tongo buba (“skin”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Niger-Congo *-kwuba (“skin (bark, husk)”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bù.bá/

Noun

bùbá

1. (fashion) blouse or outer garment worn by women

   Synonym: bùbá obìnrin

2. (fashion) top or outer garment worn by men

   Synonym: bùbá ọkùnrin

3. (fashion) inner garment worn by men typically under an agbada