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Quiz about We Stole That from the Africans
Quiz about We Stole That from the Africans

We Stole That from the Africans Quiz


Africa is home to many languages and English gets a surprisingly large amount of words from these languages. Here are ten words with origins in Africa.

A matching quiz by Joepetz. Estimated time: 3 mins.
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Author
Joepetz
Time
3 mins
Type
Match Quiz
Quiz #
390,622
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Easy
Avg Score
9 / 10
Plays
882
Awards
Top 10% Quiz
Last 3 plays: alan56 (8/10), ramses22 (10/10), bigwoo (10/10).
(a) Drag-and-drop from the right to the left, or (b) click on a right side answer box and then on a left side box to move it.
QuestionsChoices
1. From the Fula word for to eat - maybe at Thanksgiving  
  Zombie
2. From the Mandinka word for a masked dancer - I'm all confused  
  Yummy
3. From the Kimbundu word for god - brrraaaaiiinnnsss!  
  Jenga
4. From the Wolof word for taste - I've got love in my tummy  
  Yam
5. From the Afrikaans word for earth pig - it is definitely not a pig  
  Mumbo-jumbo
6. From the Vili word for a "mockman" - I've been told I look like one  
  Mojo
7. From the Bantu word for okra - stew over this one for a minute  
  Gumbo
8. From the Ibibio word for dance - it is not a Spanish word  
  Tango
9. From the Swahili word for build - don't knock it over  
  Aardvark
10. From the Fula word for medicine man - Austin Powers had one  
  Chimpanzee





Select each answer

1. From the Fula word for to eat - maybe at Thanksgiving
2. From the Mandinka word for a masked dancer - I'm all confused
3. From the Kimbundu word for god - brrraaaaiiinnnsss!
4. From the Wolof word for taste - I've got love in my tummy
5. From the Afrikaans word for earth pig - it is definitely not a pig
6. From the Vili word for a "mockman" - I've been told I look like one
7. From the Bantu word for okra - stew over this one for a minute
8. From the Ibibio word for dance - it is not a Spanish word
9. From the Swahili word for build - don't knock it over
10. From the Fula word for medicine man - Austin Powers had one

Most Recent Scores
Mar 12 2024 : alan56: 8/10
Mar 12 2024 : ramses22: 10/10
Feb 28 2024 : bigwoo: 10/10
Feb 03 2024 : Southendboy: 10/10

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. From the Fula word for to eat - maybe at Thanksgiving

Answer: Yam

Yams are commonly grown in West Africa were the Fula language is spoken. The word yam comes from the Fula word "nyami" which means to eat, as it is a staple crop in some West African communities.
2. From the Mandinka word for a masked dancer - I'm all confused

Answer: Mumbo-jumbo

In the Mandinka language, a masked dancer is called "maamajomboo", from which we get the phrase mumbo-jumbo meaning speech that is confusing or hard to understand. Mumbo-jumbo came to mean confusion because the Scottish explorer of West Africa, Mungo Park, who witnessed a Mandingo ceremony, and could not understand anything, called the whole thing mumbo-jumbo because it was one of the few words he heard clearly.
3. From the Kimbundu word for god - brrraaaaiiinnnsss!

Answer: Zombie

The Kimbundu (spoken in Angola) word for a god is "nzambi". Zombie may also come from a variety of other languages including the Kikongo word "zumbi". How the reanimated corpses that eat brains popularly seen in horror films came to be called zombies is unknown since African and Haitian/Voodoo zombies are much different beings.
4. From the Wolof word for taste - I've got love in my tummy

Answer: Yummy

Wolof is a language spoken in Senegal and its neighboring countries. The Wolof word for to taste is "nyam", which became yummy in English and means the taste of something delicious.
5. From the Afrikaans word for earth pig - it is definitely not a pig

Answer: Aardvark

Afrikaans is a language spoken in southern Africa that is somewhat a combination of Dutch and local African languages. The word aardvark comes from the Afrikaans words "aarde" or earth and "vark" meaning pig. Despite its name, aardvarks are not related to pigs and has no living close relatives. Aardvarks are sometimes called anteaters though they are not related to other species of anteaters either.
6. From the Vili word for a "mockman" - I've been told I look like one

Answer: Chimpanzee

Chimpanzee comes from the Vili word "ci-mpenzi" meaning mockman, referring to how chimpanzees imitate human behavior. The word was first used in the London Magazine in 1738 and was spelled "chimpanze". Vili is a language spoken in Angola and Gabon.
7. From the Bantu word for okra - stew over this one for a minute

Answer: Gumbo

Gumbo is a hearty stew popular in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It was influenced by the cooking style of African slaves brought to the American South. The Bantu word for okra is "kingombo" or "ngombo".
8. From the Ibibio word for dance - it is not a Spanish word

Answer: Tango

Tango, despite being a popular Argentine dance, gets its name from the Ibibio word for dance, which is "tamgu". The dance tango was influenced by Africans in South America, so the name is not totally disconnected. Ibibio is the language spoken by a small group of people in Nigeria.
9. From the Swahili word for build - don't knock it over

Answer: Jenga

The word jenga, popularized by the building game, gets its name from the Swahili word "jenga", which means build. In the game Jenga, players remove wooden pieces from a vertical structure and place them at the top, with the goal of not knocking the tower over.
10. From the Fula word for medicine man - Austin Powers had one

Answer: Mojo

Mojo comes from the Fula word "moco'o" which means medicine man. It may also come from the Gullah (a mix of English and Creole languages spoken in small communities in the Southeastern Unites States) word "moco" which means witchcraft. Mojo originally referred to a charm or coin used in African communities, believed to have spiritual or magic powers. Nowadays, mojo is some kind of special talent or power possessed by someone, typically referring to sexual prowess.
Source: Author Joepetz

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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Related Quizzes
This quiz is part of series Stolen Words:

A series of matching quizzes about English words borrowed from other languages.

  1. We Stole That from the Dutch Average
  2. We Stole That from the Native Americans Average
  3. We Stole That From the Portuguese Average
  4. We Stole That from the French Very Easy
  5. We Stole That from the Arabs Easier
  6. We Stole That from the Italians Easier
  7. We Stole That from the Chinese Very Easy
  8. We Stole That from the Irish Very Easy
  9. We Stole That from the Indians Easier
  10. We Stole That from the Scandinavians Very Easy
  11. We Stole That from the Germans Very Easy
  12. We Stole That from the Africans Easier

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