Swahili

American  

[swah-hee-lee] / swɑˈhi li /

noun

• Swahilis,
  plural
• Swahili
  plural

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.

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Swahili British  

/ 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

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Swahilis or their language

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Swahilian
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Swahili
  plural
• Swahilis
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of Swahili

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Swahili Swahilis

The U.N. describes Lamu Old Town, designated as a World Heritage site, as “the oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlement in East Africa.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

Today, it is common to hear Swahili spoken in the valley rather than the Hadzabe language.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026

He arrived with the ability to speak three languages — French, Swahili and Lingala.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2026

Victor, Mark, Erik and Moses were included in WhatsApp groups where fellow Kenyans reassured them in Swahili that they were heading for good salaries and exciting new lives.

From Barron's ● Feb. 9, 2026

Generose, who spoke Swahili, some French, and Kirundi—the language of Bujumbura and western Burundi—knew only a few words of English.

From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John

In the darkness I mean to slip away with the rest of the white men and the Swahilis, I've found a short cut by which I can take them in the rear.

From The Explorer by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham

Twelve of the new company were Swahilis, the remainder Wakamba or Wakikuyu.

From Settlers and Scouts by Herbert Strang

The Swahilis made a group here; the carriers put their loads on the grass at the side of the path; see how it's pressed down.

From Settlers and Scouts by Herbert Strang

The Swahilis assumed an unaccustomed silence, and the busy, noisy camp was like a death chamber.

From The Explorer by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham

We impressed on them emphatically they must stay thus, and went after, in turn, the Baganda, the Wakamba, the Swahilis, the Kavirondo, the Kikuyu.

From African Camp Fires by Stewart Edward White

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