Etymology Map
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Shamba

2 stages from Swahili to English.

Today it means a small cultivated farm or plot of land, especially in East Africa

Where does the word "shamba" come from? It comes from Swahili shamba, adopted directly into English (1900s).

1
Stage 1 of 2
shamba
Swahili · 1840s
"a cultivated plot, farm, or plantation"
of uncertain deeper origin within Swahili, denoting small-scale farmland
2
Stage 2 of 2
shamba
English · 1900s
"a small farm or cultivated plot"
used in East African English for a smallholding or plot of crops
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