bwana

American

[bwah-nuh] / ˈbwɑ nə /

noun

(in Africa) master; boss.

bwana British

/ ˈbwɑːnə /

noun

(in E Africa) a master, often used as a respectful form of address corresponding to sir

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bwana

1875–80; < Swahili < Arabic abūnā our father

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That’s understandable, but seeing the lion population further reduced just so some bwana wannabe can boast he bagged a lion does not.

From Washington Times • Sep. 10, 2019

Hope is a bogus bwana who writes reams about his African adventures but has actually never been anywhere wilder than the Museum of Natural History.

From Time Magazine Archive

In addition to his anachronistic "bwana, great white hunter" image, as Wildlife Federation Executive Vice President Jay Hair derisively puts it, environmentalists have substantive differences with Arnett.

From Time Magazine Archive

"I led it to my bwana," replied Simba.

From The Leopard Woman by White, Stewart Edward

Yes, bwana," they said together; "we saw it after a little.

From The Leopard Woman by White, Stewart Edward

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023