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Bemba

American  
[bem-buh] / ˈbɛm bə /

noun

  • Bembas,
    plural
  • Bemba
    plural
  1. a member of a numerous agricultural people of Zambia.

  2. the Bantu language spoken by the Bemba, widely used as a lingua franca in Zambia.


Bemba British  
/ ˈbɛmbə /

noun

  1. a member of a Negroid people of Africa, living chiefly in Zambia on a high infertile plateau

  2. the language of this people, belonging to the Bantu group of the Niger-Congo family

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of Bemba

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

In nods to the diversity of the Anglican Communion, various languages will feature in the service, including singing in Urdu, a Gospel reading in Spanish and a prayer in the Bemba language of Zambia.

From BBC Mar. 21, 2026

Though I don’t speak Bemba, I could clap in Bemba.

From The Wall Street Journal Nov. 27, 2025

On Sunday, a congress of the Sacred Union coalition that includes political heavyweights such as Defence Minister Jean Pierre Bemba and Economy Minister Vital Kamerhe, picked Tshisekedi unanimously.

From Reuters Oct. 1, 2023

“Stop the Rot,” sung in Bemba, criticizes those who still practice witchcraft in Zambia.

From New York Times May 30, 2023

He heard through Radio Bemba, which is how people are referring to gossip, Radio Big Mouth, that the compound is now a SIM interrogation center.

From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez

The two dissatisfied Bembas had finally appealed to the Northern Rhodesia High Court.

From Time Magazine Archive

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