Standard Lemma guide

mancala

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • rhymes with -ɑːlə
  • CMU ARPABET: M AA0 N K AA1 L AH0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of various board games, common throughout Africa and Asia, in which a move consists of emptying a pit and then its contents are sown one by one into ensuing pits.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Qualifier: board games

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic مَنْقَلَة (manqala).

Across languages

Translations

1 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Polish: mankala — family of games
Real reading context

mancala in complete knowledge articles