Ethiopia
Americannoun
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Formerly Abyssinia. a republic in E Africa: formerly a monarchy. 409,266 sq. mi. (1,060,000 sq. km). Present boundaries include Eritrea. Addis Ababa.
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Also called Abyssinia. an ancient region in NE Africa, bordering on Egypt and the Red Sea.
noun
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Selassie was overthrown by a military junta, which proclaimed a communist government and became closely allied with the Soviet Union.
Ethiopia is one of the world's oldest Christian nations, having been converted in the fourth century.
The junta was overthrown in 1991 and the first multiparty elections were held in 1995.
The country was plagued by famine and economic chaos in the 1980s and 1990s.
Of all African nations, it most successfully withstood European attempts at colonization, remaining independent throughout its history, with the exception of a six-year period (1935–1941) during which it was occupied by Italy, which was then governed by fascists (see fascism).
Ethiopia was ruled from 1930 to 1936 and again from 1941 to 1974 by the powerful and charismatic Emperor Haile Selassie I (born Ras Tafari Makonnen). Called the “Lion of Judah,” he claimed direct descent from the biblical King Solomon and Queen of Sheba.
Ethiopia is Black Africa's oldest state, tracing its history back more than two thousand years.
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.
Meanwhile, Abiy urged Turkey to support Ethiopia's quest for sea access, arguing that it was unjust for the country to remain landlocked.
From BBC
Okay, he guessed he couldn’t be from Bangladesh or Ethiopia or China.
From Literature
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In addition to getting an agreement in Gaza, the president says he has resolved conflicts from Egypt and Ethiopia to Cambodia and Thailand.
He then identifies four African cases where gross domestic product experienced rapid per capita growth—Botswana, Ethiopia, Mauritius and Rwanda.
He is based in Kampala, Uganda, where he writes about politics, economics, conflict and health from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Ethiopia.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.