bitawiwiri

Sranan Tongo

Alternative forms
  • bitaw'wiri

Etymology

Compound of bita (“bitter”) +‎ wiwiri (“leaf”), referring to its bitter taste. First attested in 1740 as bita wirri wirri in the unpublished anonymous manuscript Ontwerp tot Eene Beschryving van Surinaamen [Draft of a description of Suriname].[1]

Noun

bitawiwiri

  1. Cestrum latifolium, the young leaves of which are eaten as a vegetable.

Derived terms

Descendants
  • Aukan: bita uwíi
  • Saramaccan: bita uwíi
  • → Dutch: bitawiri

References
  1. J. van Donselaar (1996) “Vroege vondsten van woorden uit Surinaamse creooltalen tot 1764 [Early finds of words in Surinamese creole languages up to 1764]”, in OSO. Tijdschrift voor Surinaamse taalkunde, letterkunde en geschiedenis‎ (in Dutch), Instituut ter Bevordering van de Surinamistiek, →ISSN, page 92
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