Kikuyu
/kɪˈkuːjuː
/noun (plural same or Kikuyus)
1A member of a people forming the largest ethnic group in Kenya.Although most members were Kikuyus, they encouraged all ethnic groups to join together to achieve independence....
- For his generation that was born in Kenya with its mixture of Kikuyus and whites, Indians and Masais, the memories are of the magical years of school and friendships and the lurking fear of violence that was never far away.
- By the 1950s urbanization was combining with grievances about forced labour during the Second World War, and with the ongoing land question, to produce unprecedented resentment among the Kikuyu.
2 [mass noun] The Bantu language of the Kikuyu, with over 5 million speakers.Other ethnic languages include Luo, Kikuyu, Kamba, Luyia, Gusii, and Kalenjin, which are usually spoken at home....
- Like India, Kenya too has many languages and Caroline writes poems in three languages, English, Swahili, and Kikuyu.
- Major ethnic languages in Kenya include Kikuyu, Luo, Kiluyia, Kikamba, Samburu, Maasai, and others.
3 (kikuyu or kikuyu grass) A creeping perennial grass which is native to Kenya and cultivated elsewhere as a lawn and fodder grass.
- Pennisetum clandestinum, family Gramineae.
- This is a good option if your lawn has the sort of grass with runners, like kikuyu.
- Margaret rang in with a question about lawns - she says hers looks very sad - it's a mixture of couch, kikuyu and dichondria - but one area doesn't want to grow anything at all.
adjective
Relating to the Kikuyu or their language.It is perhaps understandable that the Kikuyu people who reside on its lower slopes thought it fit for Gods' abode....
- For example, Kikuyu teachers need to be empowered to use other means of discipline beyond corporal punishment, so that the child's rights are protected and the practices of the home are respected.
- One Kikuyu female farmer, for example, approached a large farm with a proposal to pay a small fee to tap into their irrigation system.
Origin
A local name.