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Oromo

American  
[aw-roh-moh] / ɔˈroʊ moʊ /

noun

  • Oromos,
    plural
  • Oromo
    plural
  1. a member of a nomadic, pastoral people of Ethiopia and Kenya.

  2. the Cushitic language of the Oromo.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of Oromo

First recorded in 1865–70; from Oromo; perhaps from ormu “men,” a self-designation

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:

The OLA says it is fighting for the self-determination of Ethiopia's largest ethnic group, the Oromo.

From BBC Mar. 20, 2025

Hundreds of people gathered outside the high school Monday for a lunchtime rally denouncing gun violence and calling for justice for Adam, whose family is Oromo, an ethnic group predominantly from central Ethiopia.

From Seattle Times Jan. 30, 2024

The rebels are known as the Oromo Liberation Army, an outlawed splinter group of the Oromo Liberation Front that was formerly a banned opposition party.

From Washington Times Sep. 21, 2023

Oromos, who account for more than a third of Ethiopia's 110 million people, hoped their lot would improve under Abiy, whose father is Oromo.

From Reuters Apr. 25, 2023

Great among the Oromo is the veneration for the old.

From Folkways A Study of the Sociological Importance of Usages, Manners, Customs, Mores, and Morals by William Graham Sumner

Although the Irreecha has its roots in indigenous faith systems, it is now observed by the majority of Oromos, regardless of their religion.

From BBC Oct. 6, 2025

They have accused the government of marginalising and neglecting Oromos, the country's largest ethnic group.

From Reuters Apr. 25, 2023

Al-Shabab has trained several thousand fighters for its Ethiopian “command,” mainly ethnic Somalis and Oromos inside Ethiopia, Bryden asserted.

From Seattle Times Aug. 5, 2022

What spurred him into action was an advert in the Oromia region, where most Oromos live as the country is divided into ethnically based states.

From BBC Jun. 6, 2022

Although Mr. Abiy, whose father is Oromo, rode to power in 2018 on a wave of street protests led by angry young Oromos, many in that movement now say that he betrayed their cause.

From New York Times Nov. 25, 2021

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