Every attempt has been made to gloss all the terms in the testimonies, but finding the meaning for the complete list has not proved possible; some may have been misheard or mistranscribed. Some of the words below are Amharic; others are local to the Wollo area.
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afersata
|
gathering of people to identify a thief
|
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anqettqitt
|
livestock disease
|
|
aqmada
|
sheepskin or goatskin bag used for grain, or weight equivalent
of 50-60kg
|
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Areffa
|
Eid el Fitr - breaking the main fast at the end of Ramadan
|
|
arekie
|
alcoholic spirit made from dates and sorghum
|
|
awraja
|
name for an area of land smaller than a province but bigger
than a district; used during the time of Haile Sellaise
|
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azmaris
|
minstrels
|
|
banbulie
|
sexually transmitted disease
|
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belg
|
short farming season, the little rains
|
|
birr
|
unit of currency
|
|
budas
|
evil-eyed
|
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buhe
|
small wheat loves made for a children's holiday
|
|
chat
|
plant chewed as a stimulant
|
|
debteras
|
those who have attended traditional church schools
|
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degeza
|
Wollo bush cricket
|
|
dejazmach
|
feudal nobleman
|
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Derg
|
military regime 1974-89
|
|
diri/deyiri
|
army worm
|
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EPRDF
|
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front
|
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fenttera/fenta
|
grasshopper
|
|
feqo
|
?
|
|
ferenjis
|
foreigners/white people
|
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fesh
|
?
|
|
gabi
|
white cotton cloak
|
|
gedeb
|
(literally, limit) the age, usually 15, when a girl married
young leaves her family to join her husband
|
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ghenna
|
Christmas game similar to hockey
|
|
gime
|
crop pest
|
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gitchit
|
(literally, knocking against one another) animal disease
|
|
gitte
|
game farmers played in the old days
|
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gott
|
small village
|
|
grazmach and qegnazmach
|
traditional military titles of respect; those who led armies
|
|
guftah
|
?
|
|
gushritt
|
like henna, used to decorate palms
|
|
Haj
|
Muslims' pilgrimage to the Holy Land (Mecca)
|
|
ibett
|
livestock disease
|
|
ijil
|
a disease
|
|
ilf
|
(literally, person passed around) an elderly or disabled
person who is taken care of in a local social support system
of shared responsibility
|
|
inderaise
|
administrator
|
|
injera
|
thin pancake of fermented teff
|
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Iqub/Ikub
|
traditional rotating credit and savings association
|
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jibo
|
pest which attacks chickpeas
|
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Jimat
|
Friday
|
|
kebele
|
smallest unit of local administration
|
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kerkir
|
sexually transmitted disease
|
|
Koran
|
Islamic sacred book
|
|
laden
|
sheepskin or goatskin bag, or weight equivalent of 30kg
|
|
Mahber
|
community association for those who share the same patron
saint
|
|
Mecca
|
holiest city of the Islamic religion
|
|
meher
|
main growing season (the rainy season)
|
|
melgom
|
?
|
|
memire
|
priest or teacher
|
|
Meske
|
feast of the finding of the Holy Cross celebrated on the
27th of September
|
|
mesob
|
large basket on a stand for serving injera
|
|
Mewlid
|
feast celebrating the birth of Mohammed
|
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mich
|
livestock disease
|
|
midaquwa
|
?
|
|
musebaha
|
?
|
|
natcha
|
type of wild animal
|
|
Oromos
|
largest ethnic group in Ethiopia living largely in the south
|
|
PA
|
Peasant Association
|
|
Qadi
|
Muslim religious leader and judge
|
|
qinne
|
religious poetry
|
|
Qire/Idir
|
traditional funeral association that covers, through members'
contributions, funeral expenses and ensures food is provided
for the mourners
|
|
qole
|
guardian spirit
|
|
qollo
|
roasted cereals
|
|
qoratch
|
type of crop pest
|
|
qunna
|
large grass basket holding about 10kg
|
|
qurfa
|
a disease
|
|
Sasakawa-Global 2000
|
National farmer extension programme funded by Japan
|
|
Sebere Attimu
|
celebration in January
|
|
seffera
|
resettlement
|
|
semenya
|
marriage contract
|
|
semsem
|
maize flour
|
|
Senbetie
|
community association responsible for preparing church feasts
|
|
sess
|
?
|
|
shiro
|
roast and ground peas/chickpeas
|
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tchiqa shums
|
local officials
|
|
tella
|
locally brewed beer
|
|
Tertim/Tertib
|
Muslim community activity where people come together for
daily worship in the mosque and a communal breakfast
|
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Tezkar
|
feast to commemorate one's dead
|
|
thaler
|
old currency
|
|
Timket
|
Epiphany
|
|
tind/timad
|
land measurement
|
|
TPLF
|
Tigrayan People's Liberation Front
|
|
woreda
|
an administrative district
|
|
zihone
|
livestock disease
|
|
Zikir
|
celebration when the Holy Tablet is taken out of the church
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botanical glossary
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