pupa
verb
/k͡pū.k͡pā/
spelling unconfirmed
Definitions
-
to be red; to become red
Similar wordspọ́nverb 5 entries are spelled “pọ́n”, and the list this came from doesn't say which one is meant — we've linked to the first. pọ́n to be stained pọ́n to flatter, to compliment, to praise pọ́n to sharpen pọ́n to wrap, (as in leaves used in wrapping food, see ẹẹ́rà) pọ́n to climb rẹ̀ dòdò
- to be light in color, usually in regard to skin tone
Other entries with this spelling
Wiktionary records 2 entries spelled “pupa”. You're reading one of them; here are the others.
Etymology
Compare with Ifè kpikpa, probably from a reduplication of pa (“to be red”), which follows the general pattern of the other basic color roots, which involve a duplication of monosyllabic verbs. See dúdú (“black”), a reduplication of dú (“to be dark”) and funfun, a reduplication of fun (“to be white”). Proposed to be derived from Proto-Yoruboid *-kpa
Perhaps related to Fon kpákpá (“a tree with red wood”), proposed by Westerman to be derived from Proto-Volta-Congo *pia
Used in
pupa ojú-ẹnipupa pupapupa rúsúrúsúpupa-ẹyinpupabẹ̀lẹ̀jẹ̀
Possibly used in
We are not certain about these, for one of two reasons.
Wiktionary says some of them were built from a word spelled like this one, without saying which meaning, so we show each under every meaning it could have come from.
The rest are spelled a little differently from anything here — a tone mark or an underdot apart — so we cannot tell a misspelling of this word from a word that has no page yet.
Both are fixable on Wiktionary, one word at a time. How to help.
Source: Wiktionary,
where this word is spelled “pupa”.
Reference:
en-pupa-yo-verb-ewzJsmrq