Our Mission
The South Bantu Etymological Dictionary (SBED) is designed to bridge the gap between complex comparative linguistics and the needs of those interested in African languages at various levels. By reconstructing the pathways from Proto-Bantu roots to modern everyday speech, we aim to preserve African linguistic heritage and provide researchers, educators, and language enthusiasts with the tools they need to explore the deep history of the continent.
How to use SBED
Beginning with the Etymologies search page, a user chooses a language (modern or reconstructed) and enters a form in that language or an English meaning. Scholars who have Guthrie, BLR, or SBED numbers can simply enter those numbers.
The result of a search is a dictionary entry (also called a lemma) with these components:
— the proto-form reconstructed for an earlier stage of Bantu language development
— notes summarizing the word history or its relevant linguistic issues
— references from previous scholarship, which can sometimes be expanded by the 'hide/show' option. It is the policy of SBED to include the complete entries of Bantu Lexical Reconstructions (BLR3) and all the language data from Malcolm Guthrie's Comparative Bantu (1967-71).
— relevant descendant forms in modern languages are listed in their Guthrie order.
Forms from modern languages uses their standard spelling systems (orthographies) which are described on the Languages pages along with basic information about each language. [Note: currently only a few sample languages have pages, e.g. Chewa]
The notes for entries sometimes use linguistic terms that are described in the Topics pages. These include various historical sound laws, or further information on the historical terminology for agricultural, technology or social structures.
The result of a search is a dictionary entry (also called a lemma) with these components:
— the proto-form reconstructed for an earlier stage of Bantu language development
— notes summarizing the word history or its relevant linguistic issues
— references from previous scholarship, which can sometimes be expanded by the 'hide/show' option. It is the policy of SBED to include the complete entries of Bantu Lexical Reconstructions (BLR3) and all the language data from Malcolm Guthrie's Comparative Bantu (1967-71).
— relevant descendant forms in modern languages are listed in their Guthrie order.
Forms from modern languages uses their standard spelling systems (orthographies) which are described on the Languages pages along with basic information about each language. [Note: currently only a few sample languages have pages, e.g. Chewa]
The notes for entries sometimes use linguistic terms that are described in the Topics pages. These include various historical sound laws, or further information on the historical terminology for agricultural, technology or social structures.
About us
This dictionary can be cited as:
Wills, Jeffrey (ed.). 2026. South Bantu Etymological Dictionary. Online database at BantuEtymology.org
The development of SBED has taken over a decade and involved the labors of a large network of specialists. Reggemore Marongedze and Khrystyna Shust have been particularly valuable team members over many years, and Oleh Chupa built the database structure and easy user interface. Contributors of data and expertise on special topics (or assisting in finding such specialists) include: Laurence Chinyati, Samuel Curnes, Progress Dube, Khama Hang'ombe, Ignatius Mabasa, Tshidzanani Malaba, Minyono Mwembe, Mthulisi Ncube, Dion Nkomo, Tabona Nyoni, Sóstenes Rego, Charton Siantumbu, Emmanuel Sithole, Nina van der Vlugt.
Wills, Jeffrey (ed.). 2026. South Bantu Etymological Dictionary. Online database at BantuEtymology.org
The development of SBED has taken over a decade and involved the labors of a large network of specialists. Reggemore Marongedze and Khrystyna Shust have been particularly valuable team members over many years, and Oleh Chupa built the database structure and easy user interface. Contributors of data and expertise on special topics (or assisting in finding such specialists) include: Laurence Chinyati, Samuel Curnes, Progress Dube, Khama Hang'ombe, Ignatius Mabasa, Tshidzanani Malaba, Minyono Mwembe, Mthulisi Ncube, Dion Nkomo, Tabona Nyoni, Sóstenes Rego, Charton Siantumbu, Emmanuel Sithole, Nina van der Vlugt.