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Glite Dictionary
🌳 A hardwood tree 🧓 A respected elder
agba

agba

9.9
A respected older person in some Nigerian communities who gives advice and settles disputes
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : agba
  • The advice of an agba is always sought for important decisions within the community.

Examples

  • In the Yoruba community, an agba often serves as a mediator during disputes.

  • During the festival, the agba shared stories of the village's history with the younger generation.

  • A key feature of the exhibition was its strict focus on a single costume, an Egurgun ensemble of the type known as Agba ("elderly") from the Ile Alelo compound in Ago Ijaye, Nigeria.

    Academic text (1995)

Synonyms

Ogboni
vsagba
9.9

A respected elder in a traditional Yoruba group who gives religious and legal guidance

is a respected community elder not tied to any particular society

How Respected

chief
∞ 1.9
patriarch
20 6.7
agba
  • UK
9.9
elder
162 3.1
senior
203 2.7

Surface Forms

agba singular
agbas plural

Etymology

Agba comes from the Yoruba word àgbà, which means 'elder' or 'old'. So an agba is a respected older person in the community, and the word links age with wisdom and authority.