Swahili

[swah-hee-lee]

noun

plural

Swahilis ,

plural

Swahili .

1. a member of a Bantu people of Zanzibar and the neighboring coast of Africa.

2. Also Kiswahili or ki-Swahili the Bantu language of the Swahili people, used also as a lingua franca in Tanzania, Kenya, and parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Swahili

/ swɑːˈhiːlɪ /

noun

1. Also called: Kiswahili. a language of E Africa that is an official language of Kenya and Tanzania and is widely used as a lingua franca throughout E and central Africa. It is a member of the Bantu group of the Niger-Congo family, originally spoken in Zanzibar, and has a large number of loan words taken from Arabic and other languages

2. Also called: Mswahili.  Waswahili. a member of a people speaking this language, living chiefly in Zanzibar

adjective

1. of or relating to the Swahilis or their language

Other Word Forms

• Swahilian adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Swahili¹

First recorded in 1810–15; from Swahili, from Arabic sawāḥiliy “of or pertaining to the coast,” equivalent to sawāḥil, plural of sāḥil “coast” + -iy adjective and noun suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of Swahili¹

C19: from Arabic sawāhil coasts

Example Sentences

Instead, the group work through a mix of lullabies, folk and gospel, switching from Spanish to Congolese to Swahili in rounds of four-part harmonies.

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Altar wine, popularly known as divai in Swahili language, is consumed differently across dioceses, depending on the liturgical season and the level of church activity.

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He gave her a pointed look, she says, and addressed her brusquely in Swahili: “You’re a Gen Z—come here.”

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"The country's universities, especially the Somali National University, should focus more on developing the Swahili language, which is the language of East Africa," President Mohamud said.

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To hear “Summertime” in Swahili, a beautiful language for song, is indescribably touching.

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