An elder or senior member in certain African or Middle Eastern communities, or a title of respect used in some cultures.
From Arabic 'akh meaning 'brother' or 'elder,' with the final 'a' added in various European transcriptions of the word from colonial-era texts.
The word shows how English borrowed respect titles from around the world—'akka' traveled through trade routes and colonial documents, and similar forms appear in Somali, Amharic, and other African languages.
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