*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of uhuru

Borrowed from Swahili uhuru.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 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.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

freedom

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

Borrowed from Swahili uhuru.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "sw:uhuru",
        "tree": "1",
        "text": "++"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Swahili\", \"term\" : \"uhuru\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"sw\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"uhuru\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"uhuru\">\nBorrowed from Swahili uhuru."
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "sw:uhuru",
        "tree": "1",
        "text": "++"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Bantu *dʊ̀-\nProto-Sabaki *lu-\nProto-Bantu *bʊ̀-\nProto-Sabaki *wu-\nSwahili u-\nArabic حُرّ (ḥurr)bor.\nSwahili huru\nSwahili uhurubor.\nEnglish uhuru\nBorrowed from Swahili uhuru, from u- (“-ity”) + huru (“free”)."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "uhuru",
      "uhuru#Swahili"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "freedom"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "00d09c7435d24eaf4e94e382218a32d59f7a585fdcf51b4d30d19d49fb58e340",
      "rawRecordSha256": "7b96f89c99c3269942142ae4c293247a74f81cf0581c3f31ae6a6bbd5c1a223f",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 3531841
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 uhuru →

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-dWh1cnU