msala

Swahili

Alternative forms

• mswala

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

Borrowed from Arabic مُصَلَّى (muṣallā, “place of prayer”).

Noun

msala class III (plural misala class IV)

1. (Islam) prayer mat
2. (by extension) any mat

Etymology 2

Mostly treated as identical with etymology 1. The sense can be derived without difficulty from situations where someone retreats to a private chamber for prayer, and particularly from the ablutions necessary beforehand.

Sergio Baldi instead connects it tentatively with Arabic زَلاقة (zalāqa, “slipperiness”), but this seems less likely.

Noun

msala class III (plural misala class IV)

1. private chamber, retreat

   Synonym: faragha

2. (especially) bathroom, toilet

   Synonym: bafu