zimbi

English

Noun

zimbi (plural zimbi)

1. (archaic) A cowrie shell, once used as a form of currency in parts of Africa.
   • 2024 April 27, Knight's Penny Magazine, volume 13, page 159:

     In the kingdom of Congo there is said to be another kind of shell current, called zimbi. Two thousand of these zimbi form a maconti or macinte; and one of the writers on Central Africa some years ago stated that two Flemish knives were deemed worth a maconti; a copper basin, two pounds in weight and twelve inches in diameter, three maconti; a fusee, ten macontis, &c.

   • 1850, John Macgregor, Commercial statistics: A digest of the productive resources, commercial legislation, customs tariffs, of all nations. Including all British commercial treaties with foreign states:

     It is true that the inhabitants of Congo do also make use of shells, by them called zimbi, or zinibi; but these are carried to them only by the Portuguese, who are in a manner masters of this great kingdom.

Romanian

Verb

a zimbi (third-person singular present zimbește, past participle zimbit) 4th conj.

1. Obsolete form of zâmbi.

Conjugation

    conjugation of zimbi (fourth conjugation, -esc- infix)

infinitive			a zimbi
gerund			zimbind
past participle			zimbit
number		singular			plural
person		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		eu	tu	el/ea	noi	voi	ei/ele
	present	zimbesc	zimbești	zimbește	zimbim	zimbiți	zimbesc
	imperfect	zimbeam	zimbeai	zimbea	zimbeam	zimbeați	zimbeau
	simple perfect	zimbii	zimbiși	zimbi	zimbirăm	zimbirăți	zimbiră
	pluperfect	zimbisem	zimbiseși	zimbise	zimbiserăm	zimbiserăți	zimbiseră
subjunctive		eu	tu	el/ea	noi	voi	ei/ele
	present	să zimbesc	să zimbești	să zimbească	să zimbim	să zimbiți	să zimbească
imperative		—	tu	—	—	voi	—
	affirmative		zimbește			zimbiți
	negative		nu zimbi			nu zimbiți

References

• zimbi in Academia Română, Micul dicționar academic, ediția a II-a, Bucharest: Univers Enciclopedic, 2010. →ISBN