Etymology 1
Hinde (1904) records īrria as an equivalent of English milk in “Jogowini dialect” of Kikuyu.[1] A borrowing from a South Cushitic language; compare Burunge iliba, Iraqw ilwa, and within Bantu compare Swahili maziwa, Kamba ĩia.
Pronunciation
- As for Tonal Class, Benson (1964) classifies this term into Class 3 with a disyllabic stem, together with kĩhaato, mbembe, kiugo, and so on.
- (Limuru) As for Tonal Class, as iriya, Yukawa (1981) classifies this term into a group including bũrũri (pl. mabũrũri), ikara, ikinya, itimũ, kanitha (pl. makanitha), kiugo, kĩhaato, maguta, mũgeka, mũkonyo, mũrata, mwana, mbembe, mbũri, nyaga, riitho, riũa, rũrĩmĩ (pl. nĩmĩ), ũhoro (pl. mohoro), and so on.[2]
Etymology 2
From Proto-Bantu *ìdìbà.
Pronunciation
- As for Tonal Class, Benson (1964) classifies this term into Class 1 with a disyllabic stem, together with ndaka, and so on.
- (Limuru) As for Tonal Class, Yukawa (1981) classifies this term into a group including cindano, huko, iburi, igego, igoti, ini (pl. mani), inooro, irigũ, irũa, iturubarĩ (pl. maturubarĩ), kĩbaata, kĩmũrĩ, kũgũrũ, mũciĩ, mũgeni, mũgũrũki, mũmbirarũ, mũndũ, mũri, mũthuuri, mwaki (“fire”), mwario (“way of speaking”), mbogoro, nda, ndaka, ndigiri, ngo, njagathi, njogu, nyondo (“breast(s)”), and so on.[2]
References
- “iria1”, "iria" in Benson, T.G. (1964). Kikuyu-English dictionary, pp. 380–381. Oxford: Clarendon Press.