Ethiopian

[ ee-thee-oh-pee-uhn ]

/ ˌi θiˈoʊ pi ən /

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adjective

of or relating to Ethiopia or to its inhabitants.

belonging to the part of Africa south of the equator.

Zoogeography. belonging to a geographical division comprising Africa south of the tropic of Cancer, the southern part of Arabia, and Madagascar.

Archaic. Black African.

noun

a native of Ethiopia.

a member of any of various supposedly dark-skinned peoples regarded by the ancients as coming from a country lying south of Egypt.

Archaic. a Black African.

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Origin of Ethiopian

First recorded in 1545–55; Ethiopi(a) + -an

OTHER WORDS FROM Ethiopian

pro-E·thi·o·pi·an, adjective, noun

Words nearby Ethiopian

ethinyl estradiol, ethion, ethionamide, Ethiop, Ethiopia, Ethiopian, Ethiopian Church, Ethiopic, ethmo-, ethmoid, ethmoidal artery

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use Ethiopian in a sentence

She’s also working with the Ethiopian government to better account for the needs of a diverse population by improving the algorithm the country uses to match high school students with colleges.
A Computer Scientist Who Tackles Inequality Through Algorithms|Rachel Crowell|April 1, 2021|Quanta Magazine
After watching a near-biblical swarm of locusts destroy the crops in her Ethiopian village, Kelemu turned to science and changed the world.
Breakthrough Scientists You Need to Know|Nick Fouriezos|March 11, 2021|Ozy
Scanning the proposals, Ainuu was chagrined to find another Ethiopian climbing trip among them.
How North Face Athletes Compete for Expedition Funding|Frederick Reimers|February 17, 2021|Outside Online
Fleming is working with Mike Endale, a Washington-based software developer of Ethiopian descent, who has created a software program to cull the names “most likely Ethiopian” from the half-million voters on the voter rolls in DeKalb.
Can She Woo African Migrants to Turn the Senate Blue?|Daniel Malloy|December 3, 2020|Ozy

The country’s space ambitions, backed by China’s funds and its satellite launch sites, has seen Ethiopian engineers design the satellites in an initiative co-funded by both countries.
Ethiopia is set to launch its second satellite into space, again with China’s help|Zecharias Zelalem|August 25, 2020|Quartz
That marked the beginning of a fruitful long-term relationship with his Ethiopian clients.
'Made in China' Now Being Made in Africa|Brendon Hong|August 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Co-pilot on Ethiopian Airlines waited until pilot went to the bathroom and locked him out of the cockpit.
Up to a Point: PJ on Sochi Stray Dog Stew and 1-800-F*CKYOU|P. J. O’Rourke|February 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ethiopian Airlines wishes to apologize to its esteemed customers for the inconvenience caused by this diversion.
Inside The Ethiopian Airlines Hijacking Terror|Barbie Latza Nadeau|February 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ethiopian Airlines issued a statement apologizing for the incident.
Inside The Ethiopian Airlines Hijacking Terror|Barbie Latza Nadeau|February 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ethiopian Christians, for instance, depicted Christ—and other biblical figures—as Ethiopians.
Yes, Megyn Kelly, Santa Can Be Black (and Jesus, Too)|Jamelle Bouie|December 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
If the Ethiopian can change his skin, or the leopard his spots: you also may do well, when you have learned evil.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
How delightful to avoid the commonplace Pharaohs, Ethiopian princesses, poisoned cups, and all the rest of these dolls tales!
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky|Modeste Tchaikovsky
But the answer came, "Though your face were changed black as an Ethiopian's, yet she would love you!"
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis
If you were an Ethiopian serenader, you would be a loss to me.
The Heir of Redclyffe|Charlotte M. Yonge
More than ever did the insidious poison of the Ethiopian preacher of whom mention has been made, come back to his mind.
Forging the Blades|Bertram Mitford

British Dictionary definitions for Ethiopian

Ethiopian

/ (ˌiːθɪˈəʊpɪən) /

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of Ethiopia, its people, or any of their languages

of or denoting a zoogeographical region consisting of Africa south of the Sahara

anthropol obsolete of or belonging to a postulated racial group characterized by dark skin, an oval elongated face, and thin lips, living chiefly in Africa south of the Sahara

noun

a native or inhabitant of Ethiopia

any of the languages of Ethiopia, esp Amharic

noun, adjective

an archaic word for Black

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012