kumedi
verb
to think about; to meditate.
Use kumedi for thinking something over or for focused reflection and meditation. Nimemedi is an inflected form heard in contemporary Sheng lyrics.
Forms
- nimemedi
- first-person singular perfect · I have thought; I have meditated
Lyric usage
Origins
Kumedi is a Sheng verb built with the Swahili infinitive ku- and an English-derived stem, likely from “meditate” or “meditation.” The exact borrowing path still needs confirmation.
Annah Kariuki et al., Verbal extensions in Sheng: an examination of variation in form and function (De Gruyter, 2024), 8.
Identifies kumedi as a Sheng verb from English material and glosses it as “to think about.”
Evalyne Nduku Kasyoka, An Analysis of “Problematic Contents” Expressed in Gengetone Songs in Kenya (Nairobi: University of Nairobi, 2022), Appendix 6, 86.
Translates an attested lyric use of kumedi as “to meditate.”
Examples
Nimemedi kuhusu maneno yake.
I have thought about what they said.
Nahitaji kumedi kuhusu hiyo plan.
I need to think about that plan.
Nipe time ya kumedi kuhusu hiyo stori.
Give me time to think about that story.
Tulikaa kumedi kuhusu hatua ingine.
We sat down to think about the next step.
Si rahisi kumedi ukiwa na haraka.
It is not easy to think when you are in a hurry.
Hiyo mistari ilinifanya nikumedi.
Those lyrics made me think about you.
Kabla niamue, nataka kumedi.
Before I decide, I want to think.
Alikaa solo ili kumedi kuhusu jibu.
They sat alone to think about the answer.
Kumedi kwanza si vibaya.
Thinking first is not a bad thing.
