Masain.adj.
/ˈmɑːsʌɪ/, /ˌmɑːˈsʌɪ/, /ˈmasʌɪ/, /ˌmaˈsʌɪ/, /məˈsʌɪ/, U.S. /ˈmɑsaɪ/, /mɑˈsaɪ/ A. n.
1. A member of a nomadic pastoral people inhabiting neighbouring areas of Kenya and Tanzania.
ΘΚΠ
the world > people > ethnicities > peoples of Africa > peoples of East Africa > [noun] > peoples with Nilotic or Hamitic mixture
Masai1857
Kavirondo1870
Samburu1896
Nandi1902
Karamojo1911
Kalenjin1959
1857 J. J. Erhardt (title) Vocabulary of the Enguduk Iloigob..in two parts..with a song of the Masai.
1898 E. Clodd in R. M. Dorson Peasant Customs (1968) I. 384 Among the Masai..while it is bad form to kiss a lady, it is comme il faut to spit on her.
1902 Encycl. Brit. XXV. 140/1 The Masai east of Lake Victoria..are undoubtedly Hamites, mixed..with negro elements.
1955 Times 12 July 9/7 The Mau Mau gangs must be leading a life not altogether unlike that which their grandfathers led in the struggles with the Masai over 60 years ago.
1977 H. Innes Big Footprints i. i. 24 ‘A Masai?’ I asked... ‘No, no. He's of the Kamba people—the Wakamba.’
1990 Animals' Agenda Mar. 33/3 The Masai, of Kenya and Tanzania, are turning from cattle-herding to growing grain and potatoes.
2. The Nilotic language of the Masai.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > languages of the world > Nilo-Saharan languages > [noun] > Nilotic group of > Eastern
Masai1857
Teso1901
Karamojo1961
Samburu1964
1857 J. J. Erhardt (title) Vocabulary of the Enguduk Iloigob..in two parts (Masai–English, and English–Kimasai).
1873 C. New Life E. Afr. xxiii. 526 A Table showing the variations in the dialects and languages spoken by some of the tribes…Kisuaheli..Masai, Kavirondo.
1933 L. Bloomfield Lang. iv. 67 Among the languages of this region..we may mention..Nuba,..Dinka, and..Masai.
1964 R. Jakobson & M. Halle in D. Abercrombie et al. Daniel Jones 97 In Masaai, stems consist either of tense or of lax vowels.
1980 R. Rhodes Last Safari i. i. 16 He spoke Masai before he spoke English.
B. adj.
Of or belonging to the Masai or their language.
ΘΚΠ
the world > people > ethnicities > peoples of Africa > peoples of East Africa > [adjective] > peoples with Nilotic or Hamitic mixture
Masai1857
Samburu1896
Nandi1909
Kalenjin1957
the mind > language > languages of the world > Nilo-Saharan languages > [adjective] > Nilotic > of or relating to Nilotic languages
Acholi1874
Alur1888
Turkana1894
Lango1902
Suk1902
Teso1902
Luo1909
Nandi1909
Masai1947
Kalenjin1957
1857 J. J. Erhardt (title) Vocabulary of the Enguduk Iloigob, as spoken by the Masai-tribes in East-Africa.
1887 H. R. Haggard Allan Quatermain 91 He nearly aroused the Masai camp with teeth-chattering.
1947 E. Afr. Ann. 1946–7 41/2 The Samburu..are closely associated with the Masai and are called from the Masai word ‘Samburer’ which means ‘butterfly’.
1967 M. J. Coe Ecol. Alpine Zone Mt. Kenya 1 The retention in the Masai language of many words that refer to Mt. Kenya.
1991 D. Cohen Circle of Life i. 38 Like Balinese Hindus, the Maasai warriors of Kenya..use a ritual haircut to signify the passage..from baby to boy.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2000; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.adj.1857