kiniun

Yoruba

Kìnìún

Etymology

Compare with Ifè kìnìwú. It is not related to almost any Volta-Niger roots for lion, and cognates do not exist in other Proto-Edekiri or Proto-Yoruba descended languages spoken east of the Yoruba homeland, such as Itsekiri, Olukumi, or Igala. Its relation to Fon kinikíní, Gun kinnikinni, Aja kinnikinni, as well as the significance of the "lion" in the cultures of Gbe-speaking peoples, but a lack of significance of the lion in Yorubaland (compared to the leopard) because of its absence in the tropical forests of most of Yorubaland (words for "lion" do not exist in many Niger-delta languages, as well as in Ayere or Ukaan), may explain why a native root did not persist. Thus, perhaps this comes from any of the various Gbe-roots, which was then borrowed and spread east across the forest among Yoruba-dialects, and then ending at the savanna (where native or locally derived terms for lion would exist).

See Proto-Yoruba *kɪ̃̀nɪ̃̀wṹ, while this term is shared between many Yoruba dialects, but a single form cannot be formally reconstructed to the level of Proto-Yoruboid because of linguistic considerations.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kì.nĩ̀.ṹ/

Noun

kìnìún

1. lion

Synonyms

Yoruba Varieties and Languages - kìnìún (“lion”)
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Language Family	Variety Group	Variety/Language	Subdialect	Location	Words
Proto-Itsekiri-SEY	Southeast Yoruba	Eastern Àkókó	Ọ̀bà	Ọ̀bà Àkókó	kìnnìún
		Ìkálẹ̀ (Ùkálẹ̀)		Òkìtìpupa	kẹ̀nnẹ̀ún
		Oǹdó		Oǹdó	kẹ̀nnẹ̀ún
		Ọ̀wọ̀ (Ọ̀ghọ̀)		Ọ̀wọ̀ (Ọ̀ghọ̀)	ìkìnnìún
	Ìtsẹkírì			Ìwẹrẹ	okpoghorokpò
Proto-Yoruba	Central Yoruba	Èkìtì	Èkìtì	Àdó Èkìtì	ị̀kị̀nnị̀ún, kị̀nnị̀ụ́n
				Òdè Èkìtì	ị̀kị̀nnị̀ún, kị̀nnị̀ụ́n
				Òmùò Èkìtì	ị̀kị̀nnị̀ún, kị̀nnị̀ụ́n
				Awó Èkìtì	ị̀kị̀nnị̀ún, kị̀nnị̀ụ́n
			Àkúrẹ́	Àkúrẹ́	ị̀kị̀nnị̀ún, kị̀nnị̀ụ́n
	Northwest Yoruba	Èkó		Èkó	kìnìún, kìnnìún
		Ìbàdàn		Ìbàdàn	kìnìún, kìnnìún
		Ìlọrin		Ìlọrin	kìnìún, kìnnìún
		Ọ̀yọ́		Ọ̀yọ́	kìnìún, kìnnìún
				Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ (Ògbómọ̀sọ́)	kìnìún, kìnnìún
				Ìkirè	kìnìún, kìnnìún
				Ìwó	kìnìún, kìnnìún
		Standard Yorùbá		Nàìjíríà	kìnìún, kìnnìún
				Bɛ̀nɛ̀	kìnìún, kìnnìún
	Northeast Yoruba/Okun	Owé		Kabba	kìnìùn
	Ede Languages/Southwest Yoruba	Ǹcà (Ìcà, Ìncà)		Baàtɛ	jàùntá
		Ọ̀họ̀rí/Ɔ̀hɔ̀rí-Ìjè	Kétu/Ànàgó	Ìmẹ̀kọ	kẹ̀nnẹ̀ún
		Ifɛ̀		Akpáré	kìnìwú, dzàntá
				Atakpamɛ	kìnìwú, dzàntá
				Est-Mono	kìnìwú, dzàntá
				Tchetti (Tsɛti, Cɛti)	kìnìwú, dzàntá
Note: This amalgamation of terms comes from a number of different academic papers focused on the unique varieties and languages spoken in the Yoruboid dialectal continuum which extends from eastern Togo to southern Nigeria. The terms for spoken varieties, now deemed dialects of Yorùbá in Nigeria (i.e. Southeast Yorùbá, Northwest Yorùbá, Central Yorùbá, and Northeast Yorùbá), have converged with those of Standard Yorùbá leading to the creation of what can be labeled Common Yorùbá (Funṣọ Akere, 1977). It can be assumed that the Standard Yorùbá term can also be used in most Nigerian varieties alongside native terms, especially amongst younger speakers. This does not apply to the other Nigerian Yoruboid languages of Ìṣẹkírì and Olùkùmi, nor the Èdè Languages of Benin and Togo.

Related terms

• ẹkùn (“big cat, leopard”)