释义 |
tsamma|ˈtsæmə| Also (t)sama. [a. Hottentot t'sama.] A wild water-melon, Citrullus lanatus, native to parts of southern Africa. Also attrib.
1886G. A. Farini Through Kalahari Desert vii. 106 We came across the first sama I had seen... It is the ‘wild water-melon’, resembling the cultivated variety in appearance, both internally and externally. 1933Times Lit. Suppl. 16 Mar. 175/2 Ground melons (tsamas) provide the only water supply for the wandering tribes of bushmen. 1937A. J. H. Goodwin in I. Schapera Bantu-Speaking Tribes S. Afr. ii. 39 The tsama melon..supplies liquid to men and beasts. 1948L. G. Green To River's End i. 16 The dunes topped by their t'samma melons..only form a background. 1958L. van der Post Lost World Kalahari ix. 212 A middle-aged woman sat diligently pounding the seeds of the tsamma. 1974Stand. Encycl. S. Afr. X. 640/2 The name ‘tsamma’ is used mainly in the Kalahari, and is derived from a Bushman name for the plant. |