egusi

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

Egusi’s story begins in Yoruba: egusi meant “ground melon seeds.” The ground seeds of a melon plant, used to thicken West African soups; later borrowed into Igbo as "egwusi". It reached English by 1900s as egusi. The ground seeds of a bitter melon thicken the soup, a staple across Nigeria. Today, egusi means a West African soup made with ground melon seeds, often with meat and leafy greens.

1. Stage 1 · Yoruba · medieval egusi "ground melon seeds", the ground seeds of a melon plant, used to thicken West African soups; later borrowed into Igbo as "egwusi".
2. Stage 2 · English · 1900s egusi "a West African soup thickened with ground melon seeds", the ground seeds of a bitter melon thicken the soup, a staple across Nigeria.