Kikamba
/kìkàmbà/noun
Kikamba is the Bantu language spoken by the Kamba people of Kenya and neighboring regions.
Did you know?The prefix ki- is a widespread Bantu noun-class marker used in names for languages, linking Kikamba structurally with names such as Kiswahili and Kinyarwanda.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Bantu
Proto-Bantu
*ki-
“Noun-class prefix associated with languages, instruments, or means of communication”
Early Bantu
Bantu
*Kamba
“Ethnonym associated with the Kamba people; its deeper origin is uncertain”
Precolonial period
Kamba
Kikamba
“The Kamba language, formed with ki- plus Kamba”
19th Century
Swahili/English usage
Kikamba
“Name used in regional and European descriptions of the Kamba language”
Modern English
English
Kikamba
“The Bantu language spoken chiefly in Kenya”
Explore more surprising origins