fungate

English

Etymology

From fungus +‎ -ate (verb-forming suffix).

Verb

fungate (third-person singular simple present fungates, present participle fungating, simple past and past participle fungated)

1. (intransitive) To become like a fungus, as in appearance or in growth rate or pattern.

Swahili

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Bantu [Term?].

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Noun

fungate class IX (plural fungate class X)

1. honeymoon

Numeral

fungate (invariable)

1. (obsolete) seven

   Synonym: saba

References

• Johansen, Aimee (2003) “Why Kiswahili adopted the words for six, seven and nine”, in Studies in African Linguistics‎^[1], volume 32, number 2, page 101 of 99-104:

  The Bantu words tundatu 'six' and fungate 'seven' were replaced by words whose Kiswahili adaptations have the form CVCV. In addition to satisfying the well-established universal preference for CV syllables, the borrowed forms, sita and saba, fit in better with the disyllabic pattern of the numerals of Bantu origin