*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of kanga

From Punjabi ਕੰਘਾ (kaṅghā).

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A comb, required to be worn at all times by Sikhs, one of the five Ks.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Punjabi ਕੰਘਾ (kaṅghā).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "+ (Sikhism)"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pa",
        "3": "ਕੰਘਾ"
      },
      "expansion": "Punjabi ਕੰਘਾ (kaṅghā)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ਕੰਘਾ",
      "ਕੰਘਾ#Punjabi"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A comb, required to be worn at all times by Sikhs, one of the five Ks."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Sikhism"
      ],
      "recordId": "85e1e95142354f4df46dca6acb0a5e1c7629ae3b46db30470fa39c6bd39db583",
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1952578
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A colourful printed cotton garment worn by women in East Africa.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Bantu *nkángà Swahili kangabor. English kanga Borrowed from Swahili kanga, from Proto-Bantu *nkángà.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "+ (African garment)"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "sw:kanga",
        "id": "garment",
        "tree": "1",
        "text": "++"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Bantu *nkángà\nSwahili kangabor.\nEnglish kanga\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Bantu\", \"term\" : \"*nkángà\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"bnt-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Swahili\", \"term\" : \"kanga\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"sw\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"kanga\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"garment\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"kanga\" id=\"English:_garment\">\nBorrowed from Swahili kanga, from Proto-Bantu *nkángà."
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "sw:kanga",
        "id": "garment",
        "tree": "1",
        "text": "++"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Bantu *nkángà\nSwahili kangabor.\nEnglish kanga\nBorrowed from Swahili kanga, from Proto-Bantu *nkángà."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*nkángà",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Bantu/nkángà"
    ],
    [
      "kanga",
      "kanga#Swahili"
    ],
    [
      "kanga",
      "kanga#Swahili"
    ],
    [
      "*nkángà",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Bantu/nkángà"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A colourful printed cotton garment worn by women in East Africa."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

A prison warder.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From kangaroo, rhyming slang for screw.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
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      "kangaroo#English"
    ],
    [
      "screw",
      "screw#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A prison warder."
      ],
      "tags": [
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      ],
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for kanga →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-a2FuZ2E