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Amharic

American  
[am-har-ik, ahm-hahr-] / æmˈhær ɪk, ɑmˈhɑr- /

noun

  1. the Semitic language that is the official language of Ethiopia.


adjective

  1. of or relating to this language or its speakers.

Amharic British  
/ æmˈhærɪk /

noun

  1. the official language of Ethiopia, belonging to the SE Semitic subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic family

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. denoting or relating to this language

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Amharic

First recorded in 1590–1600; Amhar(a) + -ic

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

She told us about this Amharic word tizita, that speaks to nostalgia, memory and longing.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 13, 2026

Girma, who speaks both English and Amharic, is proud to wear the famous Stars and Stripes shirt, while still remembering her heritage.

From BBC Jan. 27, 2025

It’s also the Amharic name for Lucy, the 3.2 million-year-old remains of a human ancestor found in Ethiopia in the 1970s, for which the spacecraft is named.

From Seattle Times Nov. 3, 2023

It was "shaytan," which means the devil in my parent's mother tongue, Amharic.

From Salon Oct. 14, 2023

The Amharic language, developed from the ancient Gheez, and written since the sixteenth century, has gradually gained ground in Southern and Central Abyssinia, and has also become the Court language.

From The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 1 A to Amide by Various

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