mzee

/ əmˈzeɪ /

noun

1. an old person

adjective

1. advanced in years

Word History and Origins

Origin of mzee¹

C19: from Swahili

Example Sentences

Ali Hassan Mwinyi, Tanzania's second president, was fondly known as Mzee Rukhsa - "Mr Permission".

From BBC

She was speaking during the launch of his memoir, aptly called Mzee Rukhsa - the Journey of My Life.

From BBC

Other groups echoed this partnership model: Vashon Center for the Arts recently collaborated with other regional venues to bring the children’s play “Owen and Mzee” to their respective venues, reducing costs for all organizations.

From Seattle Times

Mzee Samuel Kazungu, chair of a group of men from 15 Giriama subtribes in Kenya who convene to address land disputes, told the outlet AllAfrica in 2021 that children “start demanding inheritance ... and since a father is not ready to release his property, his family will gang up against him and he will be branded a witch, killed and the land will be sold.”

From Scientific American

Mzee Jaramogi served in the government of Jomo Kenyatta, the father of the current president, until they fell out, resulting in the vice-president becoming an opposition politician and being imprisoned in 1969 for 18 months.

From BBC