kusugua
koo-soo-GOO-ah
How to say it
Swahilikusuguakoo-soo-GOO-ah
Englishto rub, to scrub
Frenchfrotter, récurer
Meaning
To rub something hard back and forth, for example to clean a pot, scrub the floor or rub a sore spot. Sports writers also say kusugua benchi, to sit on the substitutes’ bench, and kusugua kichwa, to rack one’s brains.
Good to know
Takes a direct object: kusugua sufuria, to scrub a pot; kusugua sakafu, to scrub the floor. The passive is kusuguliwa and the applicative kusugulia, to rub with or for.
Examples
- Alisugua sufuria mpaka ikang'aa.She scrubbed the pot until it shone.
- Mchezaji huyo amekaa benchi akisugua msimu mzima.That player has sat warming the bench all season.
- Tumia brashi kusugua madoa kwenye sakafu.Use a brush to scrub the stains on the floor.
The same word in
Not yet checked by a native speaker.