Luba
/ˈluː.bə/noun
A name for several related Bantu peoples of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, their languages, and their historical kingdoms.
Did you know?“Luba” commonly appears in forms such as Baluba, where the Bantu prefix ba- marks a plural group of people; however, the deeper personal-name root is not securely established.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Bantu
Proto-Bantu
*ba-
“A reconstructed plural noun-class prefix associated with people; it appears in many Bantu ethnonyms.”
Precolonial period
Luba languages
Baluba
“A traditional collective designation for Luba peoples; ba- functions as a plural human prefix.”
16th–19th Centuries
Luba
Luba
“Name associated with Luba-speaking peoples and the Luba kingdoms in the central Congo region.”
19th Century
European records
Luba
“Ethnographic and geographic name recorded by European travelers, missionaries, and colonial administrators.”
Modern English
English
Luba
“A proper noun referring to Luba peoples, languages, historical states, and their distinctive artistic traditions.”