serikali

Swahili

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from Omani Arabic [script needed] (sörkār), from Persian سرکار (sarkâr).[1]

Pronunciation

  • (file)

Noun

serikali (n class, plural serikali)

  1. government

Descendants

  • Kamba: silikali
  • Kikuyu: thirikari
  • Luhya: eserikali

References

  1. Brook, Zev (2022) “Which Arabic Dialect Are Swahili Words From?”, in Studia Orientalia Electronica, volume 10, number 1, page 8 of 1-10:‘Government’, Sw serikali. From OAr sörkār norm. serkār (R: 126) from Persian sarkār. Sw serikari is found in nineteenth-century texts, so the dissimilation of the liquids likely happened after it was loaned, but Holes (2011: 479) also notes instability between /l/ and /r/.
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