sehemu

Swahili

Etymology

Borrowed from Omani Arabic سهم (sehem), from Arabic سَهْم (sahm, “part, portion”).

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Noun

sehemu class IX (plural sehemu class X)

1. part, portion, fraction, act
2. place, part of the world

   Afrika ni sehemu maalum.

   Africa is a special place.

Usage notes

Used to form fractions where the numerator is 1, in which case sehemu is followed by the ordinal form of the number. See Appendix:Swahili numbers for more.