Mosi-oa-Tunya

British  

/ ˈmɒsɪ-wa-ˈtuːnja /

plural noun

1. the local name for Victoria Falls

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Etymology

Origin of Mosi-oa-Tunya

from Lozi: 'the smoke that thunders'

Example Sentences

In Zambia, Speed plunged in the Devil's Pool on the very edge of the Mosi-oa-Tunya, or Victoria Falls, and rapped with Zambian hip-hop pioneer Slapdee.

From BBC • Jan. 17, 2026

On the streets of the capital city of Harare, there isn’t much chatter about the new coin — the Mosi-oa-Tunya, the traditional name for the Zambezi River waterfall.

From Washington Post • Jul. 25, 2022

The coin is called "Mosi-oa-Tunya" which means "The Smoke Which Thunders" and refers to Victoria Falls, on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia.

From BBC • Jul. 25, 2022

It will be called the "Mosi-oa-Tunya Gold Coin", which means "The Smoke Which Thunders," a reference to Victoria Falls that is located on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia.

From BBC • Jul. 6, 2022

From my bedroom, I could see a plume of mist rising from the falls, whose African name, Mosi-oa-Tunya, means “the smoke that thunders.”

From New York Times • Oct. 23, 2015