oli-

See also: oli

Yoruba

Alternative forms

• oní-

Etymology

From o- (“nominalizing prefix”) +‎ lí (“to have; to own”). The "o" prefix harmonizes with the initial vowel associated with the noun it precedes. Because /n/ and /l/ are allophonic, both oní- and olí- are essentially the same, and in Standard Yoruba, oní- will often have an /l/ when in compounds. However, in certain dialects, the /n/ and /l/ are not allophonic in this case, /l/ is primarily used like in Egba and Ekiti, while in Ondo or Ijebu, only /n/ is used.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ō.lí/

Prefix

olí-

1. Alternative form of oní- (“a prefix (added to nouns to detail ownership or association to the noun)”)

   Synonym: abi-

   (Ẹgba) ‎oli- + ‎ilé (“house”) → ‎olílé (“landlord”)

   ‎oli- + ‎òòṣà (“deity, orisha”) → ‎olóòṣà (“worshipper of the orisha”)

   (Ekiti) ‎oli- + ‎ụgbajúmọ̀ (“fame”) → ‎ọlụ́gbajúmọ̀ (“celebrity”)

   (Ekiti) ‎oli- + ‎ọ̀fịn (“palace”) → ‎Ọlọ́fịn (“title associated with kingship and royalty”)

   (Ekiti) ‎oli- + ‎ọ̀yị́nyị́n (“gossip”) → ‎ọlọ́yị́nyị́n (“gossiper”)

   (Ẹgba) ‎oli- + ‎ìgbín (“a drum associated with the deity Obatala”) + ‎dé (“to arrive”) → ‎Olígbìndé (“A Yoruba surname meaning "The igbin drummer has arrived"”)

   ‎oli- + ‎ọwá (“palace, king”) → ‎Ọlọ́wá (“title of a king”)

   (Ekiti) ‎oli- + ‎ió (“money”) → ‎olíó (“rich person”)

   (Ikalẹ) ‎oli- + ‎oghó (“money”) → ‎ológhó (“rich person”)

   (Ondo) ‎oli- + ‎ọ̀bùn (“market”) → ‎Lọ́bùn (“chief of commerce”)

   (Ondo) ‎oli- + ‎èkìkì (“oriki”) → ‎lékìkì (“oriki chanter”)

Usage notes

• In Oǹdó, the "o" is deleted.

Derived terms

Yoruba terms prefixed with oli-