ma-

ma-

1. added to verbs and adjectives to form adjectives meaning “able to be done; fit to be done”

Cognate to the set of prefixes found in Arabic: مُ‎ (mu) for agentive participles, مَ‎ (ma) for locatives, and مِ‎ (mi) for instrumentals.

ma-

1. Used to form agentive nouns.
2. Used to form nouns of place (locative nouns).
3. Used to form instrumental nouns.

Each prefix forms a different template to which the noun must conform:

• Agentive nouns end in -ī in the masculine singular, -ìyā in the feminine singular, and -ā in the plural, and the root has low tone in the masculine and plural, but high tone in the feminine.
• Locative nouns end in -ā and are feminine, or uncommonly in -ī and are masculine, with all high tone in either case. There is rarely a plural form.
• Instrumental nouns end in -ī and are masculine, with plurals in -ai. The tones of the singular form are all high, and in the plural the tones are all low except for the plural morpheme.

ma-

1. Adjective prefix

ma-

1. away (prefixed to verbs)

• The hyphen is normally kept, for example, ma-pitjanyi.
• Although ma- is spelt with a short a, the vowel is actually long (maa-). The misleading spelling exists for historical reasons.

From Proto-Bantu *mà-.

ma-

1. The prefix for noun class 6 denoting liquids.
   1. Regularly forms the plurals of noun class 5.
   2. Irregularly forms the plurals of other classes, including select vocabulary in noun class 9 and noun class 14.

• Appendix:Swahili noun classes

From Proto-Austronesian *ma-.

ma-

1. Used to form adjectives indicating a quality

   1. ma- + linis (“to clean”)=malinis (“clean”)

2. Actor III trigger infinitive verb prefix
   1. ma- + ligo (“bath”)=maligo (“to take a bath; to bathe”)
3. Object IV trigger infinitive verb prefix
   1. ma- + basa (“wet”)=mabasa (“to become wet”)
4. Object trigger to have done something; to be able to do something
   1. ma- + tapos (“finish”)=matapos (“to be able to finish something”)

   Natapos kong basahin ang libro kagabi.

   I was able to finish reading the book last night.

5. Object trigger to perform the action of the verb unintentionally
   1. ma- + basag (“broken, break”)=mabasag (“to break something unintentionally”)

   Nabasag ko ang salamin.

   I unintentionally broke the mirror.

   compare it when used with the suffix -in

   1. -in + basag (“broken, break”)=basagin (“to break something on purpose”)

   Binasag ko ang salamin.

   I broke the mirror on purpose.

ma-

1. let, may; gives a verb a hortative force.

   Masihambe!

   Let's go!

From Proto-Bantu *mà-.

ma-

1. Class 6 simple noun prefix.

ma-

1. let, may; gives a verb a hortative force.

   Masihambe!

   Let's go!

The prefix is attached to the subjunctive form of the verb, before the subject concord.

• a-

• C. M. Doke; B. W. Vilakazi (1972), “ma-”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “ma-”