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The paper discusses findings of a study that investigated Malawian students' meanings for some probability vocabulary. The study explores the meanings that, prior to instruction, students assign to some words that are commonly used in teaching probability. The aim is to have some insight into the meanings that students bring to the classroom. The sample for the study consisted of 154 students in their first year of secondary school education and whose first language was Chichewa. The paper demonstrates that many of the students' preconceived meanings for probability vocabulary were distant from established conventional probability meanings. In addition, there was a wide range of meanings associated with each of the words. An attempt is made to analyse the students' meanings and to explain their possible sources, some of which are rooted in the students' first language. The paper highlights the importance of having an awareness of students' preconceived meanings, and also stresses the importance of language in learning probability.