Americanah

Americanah Glossary

Irreverent

Showing a lack of respect for people or things that are generally taken seriously

Hectoring

To talk to someone in a bullying way

Reify

Make something abstract more concrete or real

Wolof

A language of Senegal, the Gambia, and Mauritania

Malinke

Also known as Mandenka, Mandinko, Mandingo, or Mandinka; a West African ethnic group, mainly found in the Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, and Mauritania

Haughty

Arrogantly superior and disdainful

Coaxing

To persuade someone gradually or by flattery to do something

Proselytizer

To convert or attempt to convert others to a particular religion, belief, or opinion

Pidgin (English)

Pidgin is a grammatically simplified means of communication that develops between two or more groups that do not have a language in common: typically, a mixture of simplified languages or a simplified primary language with other languages' elements included. In Pidgin English, the basis of the language is English; there are over 20 recognized English-based pidgins including Nigerian Pidgin.

Naira

The currency of Nigeria

Oyinbo

A word used in Nigerian Pidgin, Igbo, and Yoruba to refer to Westernised people

Prostrating

To lay oneself flat on the ground face downward, especially in reverence or submission

Supercilious

Behaving or looking as though one thinks one is superior to others

Lassitude

A state of physical or mental weariness

Catarrh

Excessive discharge or buildup of mucus in the nose or throat

Recalcitrant

Having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority or discipline

Sycophant

A person who tries to win favor from wealthy or influential people by flattering them

Proclivity

A tendency to choose or do something regularly

Carapace

The hard upper shell of a turtle, crustacean, or arachnid; a section of exoskeleton

Harmattan

A dry and dusty northeasterly trade wind which blows from the Sahara Desert over the West African subcontinent

Insouciantly

Showing a casual lack of concern; indifferent

Avuncular

About or similar to an uncle; kind and friendly

Pathology

The science of the causes and effects of diseases

Bursar

A person who manages the financial affairs of a college or university

Inchoate

Just begun; not fully formed or developed

Venal

Susceptible to bribery

Torpid

Mentally or physically inactive; lethargic

Lubricious

Offensively displaying or intended to arouse sexual desire

Bonhomie

Cheerful friendliness

Greenness

Youth, freshness

Somnolent

Sleepy

Calcify

Harden into calcium

Pugnaciously

Eager or quick to argue, quarrel, or fight

Apocryphal

A story or statement of doubtful authenticity, although widely circulated as being true

Jingoistic

Extremely patriotic, especially in the form of aggressive or warlike foreign policy

Savoir faire

The ability to act or speak appropriately in social situations

Fey

Of language: overrefined, exaggerated, or affected

Cowries

A marine mollusk that has a smooth, glossy, domed shell with a long narrow opening

Bucolic

Of or relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life

Patina

A thin layer on the outside of something

Enervating

Causing one to feel drained of energy

Nubile

Sexually mature - usually used when referring to a girl or young woman