baluba
|ba-lu-ba|
/bəˈluːbə/
the Luba people (ethnic group)
Etymology
'Baluba' originates from Bantu languages, specifically the Luba language, where the prefix 'ba-' meant 'people' and 'Luba' was the name of the group.
'Baluba' was used in Bantu forms as 'ba-Luba' and entered European accounts during 19th-century exploration and colonial records, becoming the modern English ethnonym 'Baluba'.
Initially it meant 'the people of Luba' (a compound of the plural prefix and the ethnic name), and it has remained an ethnic designation in modern usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an alternative name for the Luba people — an ethnic group of Central Africa (primarily in the area of the present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo).
The Baluba are known for their complex social structures and rich musical traditions.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/08 12:58