Reconstruction:Proto-Yoruba/ʊ-mãlɛ̀

This Proto-Yoruba entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Yoruba

Etymology

Ultimately from Proto-Edekiri *ʊ-mãlɛ̀, equivalent to *ʊ- (“nominalizing prefix”) +‎ *mã (“to mold”) +‎ *a-lɛ̀ (“land, earth”), literally “The ones who made the land”

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʊ̄.mã̄.lɛ̀/

Noun

*ʊ-mãlɛ̀

1. deity; (in particular) a deity or spirit associated with nature or elemental energies (land, forest, river, wind) that is usually worshipped; deified ancestor

   Synonym: *ɛ-bɔra

Related terms

• *ɔ̀-rɪ̀ʃà (sky deity)
• *e-gṹ (ancestral spirit; ancestral masquerade)
• *ò-gṹ (“deity of war”)
• *o-lókũ
• *ɪ-fá
• *a-lɛ̀, *ɛ̀-mɪ̀lalɛ̀ (spirit of the Earth; mother earth)