Bemba

[ bem-buh ]

noun

, plural Bem·bas, (especially collectively) Bem·ba.

1. a member of a numerous agricultural people of Zambia.
2. the Bantu language spoken by the Bemba, widely used as a lingua franca in Zambia.

Bemba

/ ˈbɛmbə /

noun

1. -ba-bas a member of a Negroid people of Africa, living chiefly in Zambia on a high infertile plateau
2. the language of this people, belonging to the Bantu group of the Niger-Congo family

Word History and Origins

Origin of Bemba¹

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

I met with Mulenga Kapwepwe, a writer and expert on Bemba culture, which is the ethnic group from Zambia that first began the practice of Ichilanga Mulilo.

From Eater

Ultimately, I made the decision to host it as a way to share my Bemba heritage with my partner.

From Eater

Not even Radio Bemba (Cuban slang for the rumor mill) had picked up the signal.

From The Daily Beast

Bemba was arrested near Brussels in 2008, and is currently detained at the International Criminal Court on war crimes charges.

From The Daily Beast

Many believe this change is aimed at Jean-Pierre Bemba, leader of the Movement for the Liberation of Congo.

From The Daily Beast

At a distance of nearly four hundred miles from Bemba the Congo, under the name of the Chambesi, takes its rise.

From Project Gutenberg

After dusk we were informed that the men whom we had hired at Bemba as canoe men had run away.

From Project Gutenberg

With it is closely allied that of the Bemba or Emba dialects.

From Project Gutenberg