Where does “mwanakwaya” come from?

mwanakwaya (Swahili) comes from Swahili kwaya, from English choir, from Middle English quer, from Old French cuer, from Vulgar Latin *corem, from Latin cor, from Proto-Italic kord, from Proto-Indo-European ḱḗr — heart.

mwanakwaya (Swahili): chorister, choir member

Definitions

  1. chorister, choir member

Ancestry of “mwanakwaya”, step by step

mwanakwaya traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Swahili kwaya

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swahilikwayachoir
2EnglishchoirSinging group; group of people who sing together;...
3Middle EnglishquerA choir singers who musically accompany a liturgy
4Old Frenchcuerheart
5Vulgar Latin*corem
6Latincorheart; soul, mind
7Proto-Italickordheart
8Proto-Indo-Europeanḱḗrheart

via Swahili mwana

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swahilimwanachild; In compounds, someone who does or has a...
2Proto-Bantumʊ̀jánàchild
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱḗr