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The word "Namib" means "place where there is nothing" in Khoekhoegowab, spoken by the people who live right next to the desert and assuredly explored it.
by IncreasePosts 1y ago
The word "Namib" means "place where there is nothing" in Khoekhoegowab, spoken by the people who live right next to the desert and assuredly explored it.
- thaumasiotes 1y agoWhere are you getting the gloss? Wiktionary has a definition "wasteland", but also derives it etymologically from a verb meaning "walk". Is there an element that means "nothing"?
- IncreasePosts 1y agoI was told it by my driver when I visited the desert during a trip to Angola. Where he got it from? No idea.
- reaperducer 1y agoWikipedia states that your interpretation is not 100% certain. It says that there is also believed to mean "vast place," which is not in dispute. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namib#Etymology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namib#Etymology
- inemesitaffia 1y agoSo, a vast nothing
- yard2010 1y agoThis reminds me of the dead sea, it's far from dead, there are life forms in it. It's called the dead sea in Arabic as well (maybe this is the source of the name? Don't quote me on this one)