The popular Swahili phrases "Kitu Kidogo" and "Panya Route" have officially become part of the English language after being recognized by the Oxford English Dictionary.
The media manager at the University of Oxford announced this through an official message.
In Kenya, the phrase "Kitu Kidogo" refers to money given illicitly to achieve something, similar to the terms "bribe" or "kickback."
The term "Panya Route" means a shortcut or secret route used to smuggle goods.
The Oxford English Dictionary is widely accepted as the authoritative dictionary for the English language around the world.
For a word to be approved in this dictionary, it must be recognized by various users and have been in use for a long time.
The term "Kitu Kidogo" was first translated into English in 1993 to mean "something small" in the context of bribery.
The term "Panya Route" consists of two words from Swahili and English. "Panya" translates to "rat" in English, while "route" means "way" in Swahili.
Both "Panya Route" and "Kitu Kidogo" are Swahili phrases that have been incorporated into the English dictionary, increasing the number of Swahili words in the English language.
Other Swahili words included in the Oxford Dictionary are Mzee, Mwalimu, nyama choma, jembe, sheng, mandazi, isukuti muratina, chapati, githeri, asante sana, and jambo.
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