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Definition of mancala

mancala

/mæŋˈkɑː.lə/
man · ca · la
Plural:mancalas
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mancala Lexical Profile

mancala Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

Any of a family of two-player turn-based strategy board games played across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, in which players sow and capture small stones, beans, or seeds across rows of pits or holes.

Example

"The children sat in the shade and played a quick game of mancala using smooth river pebbles."

2

The wooden, stone, or clay board containing rows of hollowed-out pits used to play such a game.

Example

"The museum displayed an intricately carved wooden mancala from West Africa."

• Rhymes for mancala

• Nearby Words

manawaiopuna
manawatu
manbag
mancala
manchego
manchester
manchild

Word Origin & Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic 'manqalah' (literally 'instrument for moving'), derived from the verb 'naqala', meaning 'to move' or 'to transfer', referring to the action of distributing stones or seeds across the board.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Mancala. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/mancala
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