gbogbo

Perhaps related to Ifè kpó, Ede Idaca kpóó, Igala gbáà

• IPA^(key): /ɡ͡bō.ɡ͡bō/

gbogbo

1. all, everything, everyone

   Gbogbo ilé yín ńkọ́? Ṣé àlàáfíà ni wọ́n wà?

   And everyone at home? Are they doing well?

   • 2008 December 19, Yiwola Awoyale, Global Yoruba Lexical Database v. 1.0‎, number LDC2008L03, Philadelphia: Linguistic Data Consortium, →DOI, →ISBN:

     Bí ohun gbogbo tilẹ̀ yẹ, okùn ọrùn kò yẹ adìẹ.

     Even if all things become fashionable; no one pulls a hen with a rope round its neck. (proverb on what is not acceptable as a norm)

This noun often looks and acts as a qualifier or determiner, and while usually before nouns, can occasionally come after. Some examples:

• Gbogbo ọ̀rẹ́ fẹ́ràn ẹ̀bà jíjẹ. ― All of my friends love to eat eba.
• Ìgbà gbogbo ― All the time

However, it is not a traditional adjective as when it's combined with subject pronouns, it becomes ungrammatical and must be used with the possessive pronouns, showing that it's a noun in Yoruba grammar. An example:

• Gbogbo wa lọ s'Ékòó. ― All of us went to Lagos.

In the example above, the possessive pronoun, wa (“our”), instead of a (“we”), as Gbogbo a lọ s'Ékòó would be ungrammatical.