Amharic

American  

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

noun

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

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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

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adjective

1. denoting or relating to this language

Etymology

Origin of Amharic

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

Example Sentences

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

I have ordered an Amharic grammar, too, and want to compare them, but I abhor the Ethiopic type!….

From Memoir and Letters of Francis W. Newman by Sieveking, Giberne