matatu
/məˈtɑˌtu/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.69 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
3
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A minivan used as a shared taxi, especially one operating without a licence.
Example Sentences
- "A matatu is also more profitable when driven by its owner than by an employed driver, or if the employee-driver pays in all the earnings and the owner meets the operating costs, rather than when the owner demands a fixed sum of money daily, with the operator keeping the surplus."
- "For now, matatus made lanes along both sides of tarmac main roads and went over, around or through potholes depending on their speed."
- "Memories of their sense of trepidation, or even the anger, aboard a matatu could still be visceral."
- "The roads were jammed with matatu minibuses sporting cartoonish liveries, and trucks billowing black smoke into the dazzling African light."
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /məˈtɑˌtu/
- British English: /məˈtætuː/
Inflected Forms
Phrases
matatu culture