Akyem
/əˈtʃɛm/noun
A historical Akan kingdom and ethnocultural group in present-day southern Ghana.
Did you know?Akyem’s connection with “shield” is supported by Twi vocabulary and Akan oral traditions, though the exact origin of the ethnic name is not completely certain.
Etymological Timeline
Precolonial Akan period
Twi
akyɛm
“Shield; a protective defensive object”
17th Century
Akan
Akyem
“Name used for an Akan political and ethnic community in the forest region of present-day Ghana”
18th Century
English
Akim
“Older European rendering of Akyem, used in colonial and travel records”
19th Century
English
Akyem
“Established English spelling for the Akan kingdom and its people”
Modern English
English
Akyem
“A historical Akan kingdom, ethnic group, and region in Ghana”