mgema
MGEH-mah
How to say it
SwahilimgemaMGEH-mah
Englishpalm wine tapper
Frenchrécolteur de vin de palme
Meaning
A person who climbs palm trees and taps their sap to make palm wine, tembo. The word is best known from a proverb about praise making people careless.
Good to know
M/wa class: plural wagema. The proverb mgema akisifiwa tembo hulitia maji means that too much praise spoils good work.
Examples
- Mgema alipanda mnazi asubuhi na mapema.The palm wine tapper climbed the coconut palm early in the morning.
- Wagema wa pwani huuza tembo kwa wakazi wa kijiji.Coastal tappers sell palm wine to the villagers.
- Babu yangu alikuwa mgema maarufu huko Bagamoyo.My grandfather was a well known palm wine tapper in Bagamoyo.
Forms
Not yet checked by a native speaker.