adinkra

Where does the word "adinkra" come from? It comes from Akan (Twi) adinkra, and was adopted directly into English (1900s).

Adinkra’s story begins in Akan (Twi): adinkra meant “farewell; symbols stamped on funerary cloth.” Named after Gyaman King Nana Kwadwo Agyemang Adinkra; the Twi root also carries the sense of "farewell", tied to the symbols' funerary origins. It reached English by 1900s as adinkra. The symbols were stamped on cloth worn at Asante funerals; one legend links the name to King Adinkra of Gyaman, defeated by the Asante in 1818. Today, adinkra means a set of symbolic West African (Akan) visual symbols representing concepts or proverbs, especially printed on cloth.

1. Stage 1 · Akan (Twi) · 1700s adinkra "farewell; symbols stamped on funerary cloth", named after Gyaman King Nana Kwadwo Agyemang Adinkra; the Twi root also carries the sense of "farewell", tied to the symbols' funerary origins.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1900s adinkra "a system of symbolic Akan visual symbols", the symbols were stamped on cloth worn at Asante funerals; one legend links the name to King Adinkra of Gyaman, defeated by the Asante in 1818.