Yes.

This is NOT a Seleda creation. It is an entry in Aleqa Kidanewold Kifle’s g’Iz-amrNa Dictionary. But first, about the book.

Rather ominously titled "meShafe swasw we gs we mezgebe qalathadis", it is considered one of the best examples of Ethiopianscholarship. It is 905 pages of g’Iz grammar, historical notes, spiritual lessons, and a vast collection of g’Iz words and their Amharic definitions, occasionally accompanied by their Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac and Greek equivalents.

The dictionary was actually published by Desta Teklewold, who on the good Aleqa’s death, completed the work and would have been justified in putting his name to it. He, however, took his cue from the Aleqa, who himself built on the work of an earlier scholar named Memhir Kifle (his own father), as well as a Memhir Kflegiorgis. Most of the work was done in monasteries ranging from DebreLibanos through Massawa and Keren right through Jerusalem.

And now to the topic at hand.

If, like us, you first heard the word "meshafed" or some conjugational variation from the mouth of an arada, you will be forgiven if you too, like us, find yourself shocked that the word has such an impressive pedigree.

As they say, there is nothing new under the sun. Even of you are ensconced in one of the many male-only monasteries all over Ethiopia and the Middle East.

However, this entry begs deconstruction.

Having read that "sefede" proceeds from "indesefEd mehon", one is quite unlikely to see the innocuous sefEd quite the same way again.

And then there are those two words, "mengalel" and"mezergat." Both drawing us pictures of females lyingprostate, awaiting … er… completion of sorts through playfulness of the Amharicword "medrat" or worse, through the forceful insertionso dramatically illustrated with the use of the Hebrew word "shafad"which is here translated into Amharic as "besa" and"nedele".

Of course, that the female would have maneuvered her lover to the point where she can be assured of reward for waiting laid back and ..er… spread open (a la sefEd), is not a point dwelt on here. Needless to say, the good Aleqa ties up his few lines of superb etymological discussion with that word that puts probity firmly back to the province of males and exclusivizes the possibility of promiscuity with females.

And that word, the last word, is "le inist" (for females).

Because, everybody knows, males don’t get sefEdma.