English

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ɑˈbu.nɑ/

Proper noun

Abuna ‎(uncountable)

1. A river in northeastern Bolivia that forms part of its border with Brazil.^[1]

Translations

Etymology 2

From Amharic, from Arabic أَبُونَا ‎(ʾabūnā, “our father”), from أَبُو ‎(ʾabū), a form of أَب ‎(ʾab, “father”), and ـنَا ‎(-nā, “our”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /əˈbuː.nə/
• (US) IPA^(key): /əˈbu.nə/

Proper noun

Abuna

1. The title of the leader, or patriarch, of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. [First attested in the early 17^th century.]^[2]

Translations

References

1. ↑ William Morris (editor), The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1971 [1969]; American Heritage Publishing Co., Inc.; ISBN 0-395-09066-0), page 6
2. ↑ Lesley Brown (editor), The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 5th edition (Oxford University Press, 2003 [1933], ISBN 978-0-19-860575-7), page 10

English

Alternative forms

• abun

Noun

abuna ‎(plural abunas)

1. (Christianity) The Patriarch, or head of the Abyssinian Church.
   • 2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin, published 2010, page 242:

     Around these leaders are still numerous hereditary dynasties of non-monastic clergy who, over the centuries, might swarm in their thousands to seek ordination on the abun’s rare visits to their area.

Translations

Portuguese

Noun

abuna m (plural abunas)

1. (Christianity) abuna (head of the Abyssinian church)