Roots

Roots Glossary

abolish

to do away with; put an end to; annul; make void.

Alimamo

Spiritual leader of a Mandinka village.

calabash

The dried, hollowed-out shell of certain gourds or gourd-like fruits, used as a container or utensil.

cockspur

a spur on the leg of a cock.

cruller

a sweet food made from a piece of dough that has been twisted and fried.

griot

A storyteller and historian who has memorized hundreds of years of oral traditions of his village.

jaliba

A musician.

kafo

An age designation in five-year groups among the Mandinka.

kintango

The man in charge of manhood training for the Mandinka.

linguistics

the science of language, including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and historical linguistics.

mangy

squalid; shabby.

maritime

connected with the sea in relation to navigation, shipping, etc.

myriad

a very great or indefinitely great number of persons or things.

phonetic

of or pertaining to speech sounds, their production, or their transcription in written symbols.

prostrate

to cast (oneself) face down on the ground in humility, submission, or adoration.

ramification

the act or process of extending into subdivisions or branching out.

reverence

a feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe; veneration.

rout

a defeat attended with disorderly flight; dispersal of a defeated force in complete disorder.

tobalo drum

a large ceremonial drum.

toubob

Mandinka word for Caucasian people.