Lingala dictionary · browse all
ebende ya motane
e-BE-nde YA mo-TA-ne
copper
French: le cuivre
Ebende ya motane ezali ebende ya kilo.
Copper is a heavy metal.
Le cuivre est un métal lourd.
Copper — Lingala says it descriptively: the red metal. Ebende ya motane — "red iron" — is copper. (Kwivre is a direct French loan.) The Congo's'earth holds famous copper; the word names the metal by the colour the eye sees in its glow.
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