Ibadan
/ì.bà.dán/noun
Ibadan is a major city in southwestern Nigeria and the capital of Oyo State.
Did you know?Ibadan expanded rapidly in the nineteenth century after warfare displaced people from older Yoruba settlements, turning it into one of West Africa’s largest inland cities.
Etymological Timeline
Early Yoruba
Yoruba
ìbà / ibà
“A proposed element in the place-name; its precise historical sense is debated.”
Early Yoruba
Yoruba
ọ̀dàn / òdan
“Open country, grassland, or plain; this element is commonly connected with the city’s name.”
19th Century
Yoruba
Ìbàdàn
“The Yoruba place-name for the settlement, commonly interpreted as referring to land beside or between the forest and open plain.”
1829
Yoruba
Ìbàdàn
“The settlement was founded or re-established during the upheavals of the Yoruba civil wars.”
Colonial Period
English
Ibadan
“The English spelling used for the growing Yoruba city.”
Modern English
English
Ibadan
“A major Nigerian city and the capital of Oyo State.”