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"Dawa ya wadudu"
Translation:Insecticide
February 21, 2017
3 Comments
DiegoJaviUnlam
1722
Etymology (dawa)
From Arabic دَوَاء (dawāʾ).
Noun
dawa (n class, plural dawa) or dawa (ma class, plural madawa)
1) medicine
Usage notes
In its strictest sense, this word means "medicine", but is used generally for anything that improves or protects the condition of another thing; for example dawa ya viatu (“dawa of the shoes”) means "shoe polish".
From Wiktionary: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dawa
Note: So, for insects the meaning of "medicine" or "improving protection" is not applied. ;)
I think the Arabic etimology can explain better this meaning:
Etymology (دواء)
From the root د و ي (d-w-y); compare دَوًى (dawan, “disease”), دَاوَى (dāwā, “to treat a disease”).
Noun
دَوَاء • (dawāʾ) m (plural أَدْوِيَة (ʾadwiya))
1) (medicine) remedy, medicine, medication, drug
From Wiktionary: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%A1#Arabic
(So, perhaps the meaning for this phrase would be "Drug of insects" or "Drug for insects) =)