Muntu
/ˈmʊn.tuː/noun
A person or human being, especially in discussions of Bantu languages and African philosophy.
Did you know?Muntu belongs to the same Bantu noun-class system that gives us Bantu—literally the plural form associated with “people” or “humans.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Bantu
Proto-Bantu
*mʊ̀-ntʊ̀
“Reconstructed form meaning “person” or “human being”; the asterisk marks a scholarly reconstruction.”
Early Bantu languages
Bantu
muntu
“A person or human being, formed with the singular noun-class prefix mu-.”
Classical Bantu usage
Bantu
bantu
“People or human beings; the plural counterpart associated with muntu.”
19th–20th Century
isiZulu and related languages
umuntu
“A person or human being; the initial u- reflects the noun-class system of these languages.”
20th Century
English
muntu
“An English loanword used chiefly in anthropology, African philosophy, and discussions of Bantu cultural concepts.”