alẹ

Yoruba

Etymology 1

Cognate with Igala ánẹ́, equivalent to a- (“non-gerundive nominalizing prefix”) +‎ lẹ́ (“to approach the night, to be at dusk”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ā.lɛ́/

Noun

alẹ́

evening, night (7pm to 10pm)
(idiomatic, euphemistic) one's deathbed, the end of one's life

Derived terms

alẹ́ àná (“last night”)
Ayọ̀bámikalẹ́ (“Yorùbá name”)
káalẹ́ (“good evening”)
àṣálẹ́ (“dusk, evening”)
ìrọ̀lẹ́ (“evening”)

Etymology 2

Cognate with Igala ánẹ̀ and possibly Igbo ala, Igbo ànị̀, Igbo ànà, proposed to be derived from Proto-Yoruboid *á-lɛ̀, possibly related to dawn breaking over the land, see Igala nẹ̀

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ā.lɛ̀/

Noun

alẹ̀

land, earth, soil
Synonyms: erùpẹ̀, iyẹ̀pẹ̀, ekuru
country, homeland

Derived terms

alálẹ̀ (“guardian spirit of a town; ancestor”)
alẹ̀-odò (“bedrock”)
Alẹ̀ (“personification of the land as a female deity”)

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.