Nyasa
/naɪˈæsə/noun
A historical English name for Lake Malawi in southeastern Africa, also used in colonial-era geographical names.
Did you know?The name Nyasa entered colonial English through African languages and survives in “Nyasaland,” the former British name for present-day Malawi.
Etymological Timeline
Precolonial period
Bantu languages
nyasa
“Lake or large body of water”
19th Century
Yao/Chichewa usage
nyasa
“A lake, especially the great lake in southeastern Africa”
1859
English
Lake Nyasa
“The name popularized in English after David Livingstone’s expedition”
1891
English
Nyasaland
“The British colonial territory associated with Lake Nyasa”
1964
English
Malawi
“The independent country that replaced the colonial name Nyasaland”
Modern English
English
Nyasa
“A historical or alternate name for Lake Malawi”
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