siafu

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Swahili siafu.

Noun

siafu (plural siafus or siafu)

1. An army ant.
   • 2016, Kevin Baker, The World's Most Dangerous Animals:

     Male driver ants leave the colony soon after they hatch but are drawn to the scent trails left by colonies of siafu ants when they reach sexual maturity.

   • 1957, William W. Baldwin, Mau Mau Man-hunt, page 216:

     The siafus, together with the hyena, jackal and vulture, are the great scavengers of Kenya.

Swahili

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Bantu [Term?].

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Noun

siafu class IX (plural siafu class X)

1. army ant; biting ant

Ternate

Etymology 1

Cognate with Sahu siau, Galela siapu, Loloda siau.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /si.ˈa.fu/

Noun

siafu

1. the plant Dioscorea esculenta var. tiliifolia

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [si.ˈa.fu]

Verb

siafu

1. (stative) to be soft

Conjugation

Conjugation of siafu

		singular	plural
			inclusive	exclusive
1st person		tosiafu	fosiafu	misiafu
2nd person		nosiafu	nisiafu
3rd person	masculine	osiafu	isiafu yosiafu (archaic)
	feminine	mosiafu
	neuter	isiafu

References

• Rika Hayami-Allen (2001) A descriptive study of the language of Ternate, the northern Moluccas, Indonesia, University of Pittsburgh