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Voltaic

Voltaic

9.9
A group of related languages that people speak in southeastern Mali and northern Ghana
  • noun
  • Archaic
: voltaico
  • This headdress, which apparently consists of a bowl-shaped helmet made out of basketry to which a pair of real animal horns are attached, is clearly related to the "modern" wooden helmets that are the focus of this article, as well as to the horned headdresses of a variety of Voltaic peoples, as discussed in note 40.
  • Voltaic pile

Examples

  • Researchers are studying the cultural practices of the Voltaic people in southeastern Mali.

  • Most Voltaic groups favor surfaces embellished with geometric patterns, as do the Baga farther west.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Formal (and geographical) middle ground is occupied by Voltaic peoples of Burkina Faso.

    Academic text (1991)
  • In order to analyze the relationship that buffalo imagery and symbolism may have with hunting and funerary practices, it would be worthwhile to take a more systematic look at the findings on neighboring peoples and other groups in the Voltaic region.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The Voltaic languages are primarily spoken by communities in northern Ghana.

  • Many linguistic features can be traced back to the Voltaic languages of the region.

Synonyms

Gur
vsVoltaic
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of related languages spoken in West Africa mainly in Mali and Ghana

is a descriptive phrase for closely related languages rather than a formal family

Compounds

voltaic pile
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A simple early battery made from stacked metal discs like zinc and copper

voltaic system
  • Specialized
1 5.3

A system that makes electricity from sunlight using solar panels

voltaic energy
  • Specialized
1 7.0

Electricity that chemicals make in a cell or battery

voltaic cell
  • Specialized
1 6.7

A device that makes electricity from a reaction between two metals and cannot be charged again

voltaic battery
  • Specialized
1 6.3

A group of cells that make electricity by chemical reactions

Surface Forms

Voltaic singular
Voltaics plural

Morphology

Voltaic = Volta (semi-transparent) = Volta + ic

Formed regularly from the place-name 'Volta' with the adjectival suffix '-ic', but understanding requires knowing the geographic referent.

Etymology

Voltaic comes from the name of the Volta River in West Africa. It was used to mean 'from the Volta area', so Voltaic languages are the group of languages spoken by people who live around that river in parts of Mali and Ghana.