eze
/ézè/
The Igbo word for king is eze.
eze refers to a male of a royal family who is the supreme ruler of his nation. Different titles are used to specify the scope of a king's authority: Eze Obodo is used to refer to the king of a community or village, Eze Oha refers to the "king of the people" and Eze Ndi Igbo translates to "the king of the Igbo people".
Meaning: a male of a royal family who is the supreme ruler of his nation (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
/ézè/
Did you know?
- In traditional Igbo society, the role of eze was historically less about absolute power and more about ritual leadership, as many communities functioned as acephalous societies without a single centralized ruler.
- In some Igbo poetic traditions, the word eze is used as a synonym for the sun or other powerful celestial bodies to denote supreme brightness and power.
- While eze means 'king', the concept of leadership in Igbo culture is often tied to the 'Ozo' title system, where status is earned through achievement rather than just inherited by birth.
Examples in context
- Eze ahụ bụ onye mara ama.That king is very famous.
- Eze na-achị obodo anyị.The king rules our town.
- Agụrụ eze n'akụkọ ihe mere eme.The king was mentioned in history.
Example conversation
Ifeanyi and Ada are discussing the local leadership.
- IfeanyiIfeanyi, ị maebe eze anyị nọ ebe?Ifeanyi, do you know where our king is?
- AdaAda, eze nọ n'obodo ya ugbu a.Ada, the king is in his town right now.
- IfeanyiAnyị ga-enye ya ekpere.We should give him a greeting.
- AdaEziokwu, ọ bụ eze nwere obi ọma.True, he is a kind king.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “king” translations and entries eze, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
