Bunyah

/ˈbuːnjə/ noun

Definition

An alternate spelling of bunya, referring to the same tall Australian tree with edible seeds.

Etymology

A variant spelling of bunya, from Yuggera language. The alternate 'h' ending reflects different transliteration choices made by early European settlers recording the Aboriginal word.

Kelly Says

Variant spellings like bunyah show how difficult it was for English speakers to capture Aboriginal pronunciations—there was no standardized way to write these words, so different explorers and settlers spelled the same word differently.

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